Holidays

Chanukah

By: Jesse Kleinman’23 Staff Writer

Best ThanksgivingHolidayPie

By: Raina Desai Food Section Editor

Fall has begun, and one of the best ways to enjoy the sweater weather that fall brings is by savoring a pumpkin pie. The following recipe presents one of the best pumpkin pie recipes.

PREP TIME: 10 mins COOK the modern perception of “Jewish Christmas.” So, this still leaves the question of what Chanu- kah really is. To me, it’s a time to get together with my family, eat greasy food, and be thankful for everything I am blessed with. Had you asked me ten years ago, I’d have said it’s just our version of Christmas, meant plainly for the gifts. Others, particularly older generations, may say it’s a reminder of the struggles and changes Jews have faced as immigrants. This is the beauty of Chanukah; there’s no truly set meaning, nor is there a “right” way to celebrate it. As long as you’re with your family, cheery and thankful, you, too, can celebrate Channukah

The New Year’s Resolutions

By: Leela Menon’25 Staff Writer

Have you ever failed to achieve a new year’s res- olution or heard the phrase, “new year, new you”? If the answer is yes, do not fret; many people have failed to achieve their new year’s resolutions ,and there is a darker reason behind it: impossibly high expectations. Many people see the new year as a perfect time for self-improvement, but some aim extremely high for their resolution. It is unrealistic to expect to transform oneself just because it is a new year. This can lead to many people failing to complete their new year’s resolutions and experiencing a feeling of hopelessness. However, many do not create these resolutions without some underlying motive or reason. Currently, there is an abundance of societal standards, fueling the desire to improve and achieve, especially in the age of technology, with social media to compare oneself to others. People see the new year as a great potential gateway to achieving these standards. Companies, especially advertisers, realize this and use it as a time to exploit millions of people. One of the largest examples of this is gyms. There are societal stan- dards that claim people have to have the “perfect figure,” which leads many people to strive for an impossible goal. Several take the new year as a time to achieve their goal, mainly through signing up for gym memberships. According to Statista, 50% of these resolutions made are health-related goals. Nearly 50% of these people give up their gym membership after January. Gyms are aware of this and use this time to promote themselves with deals for the New Year to bring in more people. Some gyms even give memberships to more than the gym can hold, but gyms know these resolutions do not last. Gyms do this through advertising and promoting instant wellness and an “ideal body” as new year’s resolutions. Resolutions are not necessarily bad, and the new year can be a great time for self-improve- ment. However, do not expect to complete your resolutions instantly or have impossible sky- high standards; resolutions take time and can be made anytime. It’s always a good time to start self-improvement, not just the new year, so do not feel pressured by everybody else.

TIME: 50 mins

TOTAL TIME: 1 hr(s)

Amount: A full 9 inch pie - 8 servings

Ingredients: 1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree 1 (14 ounce) can sweet- ened condensed milk 2 large eggs 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1⁄2 teaspoon ground ginger 1⁄2 teaspoon ground nutmeg 1⁄2 teaspoon salt 1 (9 inch) unbaked pie crust Whipped cream, for services

Directions: Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Whisk pumpkin puree, condensed milk, eggs, cinnamon, ginger, nut- meg, and salt together in a medium bowl until smooth. Pour into the crust. Bake in the preheat- ed oven for 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F (175 de- grees C) and continue baking until a knife inserted 1 inch from the crust comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes. Let cool before serving. Add whipped cream on top for some extra flavor. ENJOY!

Holidays

The White House Celebrates Diwali

By: Megan Lehal’26 Staff Writer

Diwali, the celebration of lights, is one of the largest and most well-known In- dian holidays. After being celebrated for over 2,500 years by three major re- ligions, Hinduism, Sikh- ism, and Jainism, it has hundreds of deeproot- ed traditions that are celebrated by Indians and thousands of others around the world. Since 2009 under the presidency of Barack Obama, Diwali was brought to the White House and has been celebrated for 13 years under three different presidents. This year’s celebration was the largest it has ever been as the current Vice President has Indian roots. Vice President Kamala Harris welcomed her home in DC to hundreds of others as she decorated it thoroughly with strings of lights, bright colors, and the smiles of the attendees at the celebration. A video posted to Instagram shows hundreds of people, young image via nbc.com and old, smiling outside holding sparklers just as dusk approached. Although the sun began to set, the buzzing energy thrived well into the dark. In addition, the White House also cele- brated Diwali. On October 24th, the largest celebration of Diwali ever in the White House took place with over 200 guests partaking in the lighting of a diya, a cer- emonial lamp. The diyas that are placed represent the success of light over dark, good over evil. They also are meant to be used to bring good luck and prosperity because in some areas of India, Diwali marks the beginning of the New Hindu Year.

Having Diwali celebrated in the White House is shows a huge change from positions of author- ity. It sets the example that Americans that prac- tice Hinduism Americans deserve to have their culture known and celebrated. Some members of the prep community have said “I felt like my Indian heritage was being offi- cially interwoven in the American social tapestry at the highest level and it made me feel even more inclusive and proud to be an Indian American” and “After hearing about this celebration it made me proud to be an Indian American.” Diwali becoming a public school holiday in New York City shows that Hindu