The Big Christmas Interview

The International interviewed the ALC teachers. No one stayed out of the spotlight.

The International: Did you like to play snowballs and make snow men in your childhood?

Michael Hopkin: I love to have snowball fights! Actually a couple years ago Jessica (Mike’s girlfriend) and I made a snowman and it looked great! My favorite thing is to build tunnels in the snow. There needs to be a lot of snow though. One year my friend and I were in upstate NY and there was like 5 feet of snow and we built a tunnel that was like 20 feet long. We each started at one side and met in the middle. When we touched hands it was a magical moment.

The International: Have you ever baked Gingerbread house?

Catherine McGlaughlin: Nope! Never baked a Gingerbread house. Have I ever destroyed a gingerbread house? Oh yes. Bite by bite.

The International: What was yours the coolest New Year Celebration?

Daniel Waters: I spent New Year's 2013 in the Czech Republic. This time stands out because it was in a new and unfamiliar setting. Christmas/New Year at home is always nice, but it's pretty much the same every year. This time was funny because I had to dance the polka and was clearly the only person who didn't know how to do it. Diving headfirst into another culture's traditions made it very special.

The International: What 3 words you can use to describe Christmas spirit?

Jerry Bailis:

Dream. Myth. Archetype.

Continued on Page 4

When one person dreams-it’s a dream. When one group dreams the same dream-it’s a myth. When the whole world dreams the same dream-it’s an archetype. When a farmer places a dead seed in the ground it will rise in the spring…Christianity’s myths were shaped by the whole range of mythological thinking of the era, some of it with roots going back into prehistoric times.

The International: How many time do you think did you kiss someone under Mistletoe?

Michael Hopkin: That is a good question. I would say that I might have kissed someone under mistletoe once or twice. I am going to have to kiss more people under the mistletoe, I am really missing out!

The International: What was your favorite Christmas tradition?

Russell Ebright: When I was a kid, my brother and I created a miniature professional wrestling league called "Cousin's Wrestling Association" (or CWA for short). It involved us dressing up in a number of ridiculous outfits and pretending to fight each other in my basement, often while my poor mother videotaped us with an unwieldy 1990's camcorder. Though one might expect we'd grow out of such things by our teenage years, this lunacy actually persisted for at least fifteen years and results in more broken couches, dented wall panels, and nagging minor injuries than I dare recall. In any case, in 1995 we began holding our yearly MEGACARD, Christmas Chaos, on Christmas Eve. These fiascoes were, without a doubt, the pinnacle of my storied athletic career and produced a litany of unforgettable triumphs; In 1995 I pinned my brother after delivering a leaping belly splash off a La-Z Boy recliner and in 1998 I pummeled him with a pizza box while dressed in a cut off belly shirt meant to evoke the shipwreck chic of Robinson Crusoe. There were lowlights too, such as being defeated by my pet dog in 2001 and hitting my head on the ceiling during the great adolescent growth spurt of 1999. Nevertheless, for better or worse, while other neighborhood families were gathered 'round the fire trading Christmas cards and holiday yarns, the Ebright clan was crowded in a basement engaged in the timeless art of 1 on 1 mortal combat. Though this splendid tradition finally sputtered out when my brother and I went off to college, those treasured memories of Christmases past live on in periodic body aches that persist to this day.

The International: What was the brightest celebration of Christmas in your life?

Catherine McGlaughlin: My best Christmas was probably when I was

eight years old. I think that was the last year I believed in Santa Claus so the holiday still felt magical. I remember that was the year "Santa" brought me a little puppy-- who we later named Loafer because he was so fat and loved to lay around and eat!

The International: What is the best memory of celebration of Christmas?

Michael Hopkin: I dunno, I don’t know. But I remember one year that my parents told me that Santa bought me a sled. It was a pretty sweet looking sled. For many years I asked for a bell from Santa’s sleigh. I got that idea from the book Polar Express. So for many years my parents gave me a little bell.

The International: What the perfect Christmas Day has to contain?

Daniel Waters: A perfect Christmas usually includes: Snow on the ground, A large extended family turnout, Tons of food, Football on TV, and a generous visit from Santa;)

The International: What was your favorite Christmas present?

Russell Ebright: The best Christmas present I've ever received was the Ghostbusters firehouse playset. I got it for Christmas when I was 5 or 6 years old and can't ever recall being happier than I was when I first got to experiment with its bevy of features. It was a gigantic scale model of the firehouse from the movie and television show and featured a functional fire pole, swinging garage doors, and space for as many Ghostbusters action figures as you could possibly imagine. Also, given that I sneakily unearthed its garbage bag enshrouded box in my garage weeks before Christmas, the Ghostbusters fire house was integral to my personal discovery that Santa Claus was a fraud. Strangely, that landmark realization didn't bother me much and I spent my entire Christmas morning awash in a materialistic bliss, smashing my Ecto 1 into the firehouse's "cement" exterior and tossing the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man repeatedly off the roof.

The International: What is the best memory of celebration of Christmas?

Michael Hopkin: I dunno, I don’t know. But I remember one year that my parents told me that Santa bought me a sled. It was a pretty sweet looking sled. For many years I asked for a bell from Santa’s sleigh. I got that idea from the book Polar Express. So for many years my parents gave me a little bell.

The International: Not long time ago we celebrated Halloween. What was your favorite costume for the Halloween party in your childhood?

Daniel Waters: A few good Halloween costumes I had as a little kid were a Jedi from Star Wars, a "dead" hockey player, and a Ninja Turtle costume that I used to wear around the house, not just on Halloween.

The International: Do you have a traditional Christmas style dish in your family?

Jerry Bailis: We go out for Chinese food. My family goes out for Chinese food on Christmas. Whatexactly is behind our love affair with egg rolls and chow mein noodles?

My family uses Chinese food as a metaphor in our efforts to cross over into the non-traditional world. Beyond the trappings and the cuisine, Chinese restaurants offered my family the opportunity to feel cosmopolitan and sophisticated. There’s a great scene early in my memories where I visit a Chinese restaurant for the first time and I am confronted by slices of roast pork. The smell nauseates me. I put a piece in my mouth and chew it; but, just can’t bring myself to swallow it. Much later in my life’s story, I’m with my family at my playwright girlfriend’s apartment, and she is having a big party with Chinese food at her apartment. I’m a couple of years older now, much more sophisticated, and when I see the Chinese food I think "What’s the fuss about roast pork?" I put some in my mouth, chew and swallow it and that’s that. This particular episode in my memory shows that my family and I have made the leap into larger society and away from tradition.

My family is moved by our hearts, not our taste buds.It’s a love affair and a sacred tradition to partake of Peking duck. My father argues that to eat Chinese on Christmas is a ritual, not unlike the rituals that traditional culture—which have always valued observance. For us, the Chinese-on-Christmas experience is a replacement for traditional rituals: A prayer we can eat.

The International: What 3 things that perfect Christmas Eve has to include?

Catherine McGlaughlin: 1. Family 2. Food/wine 3. Good music!

The International: Do you have a holiday message for our students?

Russell Ebright: Of course. I hope all of our students have a chance to spend the holidays with their loved ones and friends. I encourage all of you to make your own traditions, whether they involve elaborate holiday get together or simple personal rituals. Every year on Christmas Eve I read Dylan Thomas' "A Child's Christmas In Wales" and watch the 1951 version of The Christmas Carol, starring Alastair Sim. In might sound insignificant, but no Christmas ever feels truly complete until I've done those two things. It's important to create Christmas traditions that you define the holiday for you, especially ones that you can take with you every year, no matter where you are or who you're with. I imagine that'd be especially true for students who are celebrating the holiday in a new country.

Yummiest International Cuisine

Grab Your Aprons and Get to Baking!!

Admittedly, I’m not one to snack on healthy fruit all the time, but anyone would enjoy these Pumpkin Apple Streusel Muffins or a piece of Banana Bread warm from the oven! The best way to eat fruit is to bake it into a sweet bread that you can enjoy for breakfast or a quick pick-me-up anytime! The Pumpkin Apple Streusel Muffins are an old family favorite in my house, and I hope you enjoy them just as much. They are a perfect holiday treat for company! Enjoy. Ms. Rebecca.

2 eggs, lightly beaten 1 cup Libby Solid Pack Pumpkin ½ cup vegetable oil 2 cups peeled, finely chopped apples

2 ½ cups all-purpose flour 2 cups sugar 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice 1 teaspoon baking soda ½ teaspoon salt

Pumpkin Apple Streusel Muffins

(Makes 18 Muffins)

Дата добавления: 2015-10-02