Cycling through Copenhagen on my route home from classes, I have keenly observed the progression of Christmas-market-construction and the steady putting-up of the Christmas lights around the city as we entered the festive season. On my way home, as the daylight ebbs away, I see the comforting amber glow of filament light bulbs and candles […]
christmas
Reindeers Can’t See Red, Study Reveals
University of Exeter scientists have discovered that it is unlikely that Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer was bullied because of his nose colour, as reindeer lack the colour-detecting cells that allow their eyes to see the colour red. With the same reasoning applying for the colour orange, the research, conducted by Exeter MSc student Maria […]
Should we question political correctness in Christmas songs?
The words “peace and joy” have always been closely linked with Christmas time as a period of love and laughter. Certain questionable remarks made around the dinner table are shrugged off in favour of not ruining Christmas Day and keeping the family peace. There’s a reason the holiday season often comes with a high dose […]
Live Review: Exeter Contemporary Choir’s Christmas carol concert
Nothing gets you in the Christmas spirit quite like a carol concert, and the University of Exeter Contemporary Choir certainly delivered an enjoyable evening of Christmas, modern and unexpected songs.
Christmas Conundrums
Nip into town on a cold Christmas Eve, Trying to find a present for Steve, And Mum, and Dad, and grandparents too. I’ve left it so late, there’s so much to do. Taking a peek at my meagre savings I wish I’d resisted my takeaway cravings. Is £4.75 enough to go round? I glance about […]
In the Eyes of Scrooge
Christmas. It seems miles away. Halloween hasn’t even passed us yet though shops flaunt Christmas decorations proudly. “Seasonal specials” crowd the menus of all the cafés and they make you pay 20p more for it just because “gingerbread” is in the name. November arrives and Christmas music is everywhere, especially in stores. As if it […]
The Christmas Monster
November the 30th, the new clone awakes The old one is butchered and served up as steaks To the new one who chews them with shiny white jaws And gnaws on the bones with his manicured claws And out from the cave in the depths of mid-winter The world feels the touch of a […]
The Ghosts of Christmas Present: The Darkness behind Dutch and Belgian Traditions
Christmas is recognised across the globe as being the holiday of giving and of love. It is a time where people put aside their differences, come together and has quite literally paused wars in its honour. For this reason, it comes as a shock that in certain countries in Europe these traditions involve rather racist […]
Why we should think about the homeless at Christmas
There’s nothing like some jarring juxtaposition at Christmastime, when middle class mothers and determinedly festive students rush out of John Lewis and Build-a-Bear Workshops clutching extravagant gifts whilst destitute folk sit outside the store clutching their elbows from the cold. A 2017 ITV report states that homelessness is at an all time high in Exeter, […]
Surviving January Exams
December’s arrival gifts us with two complications: the money our wallets allow us to spend on Secret Santa and the questionable morality of January exams. There is no denying that these assessments psych most people out. Is it the concept of New Year beginning whilst simultaneously forcing our brains to recall lectures from the past […]