Staff Writer

This weekend, I was doing a little bit of shopping at the mall and I noticed something odd at Macy’s. Christmas and New Year’s celebrations have just ended, but it hasn’t stopped any of the stores from putting up Valentine’s Day decorations. It feels like I just celebrated New Years and all of a sudden Valentine’s Day has crept up on me. Some other students at CHS also feel the same way.

“It’s a little early to be putting Valentine’s Day decorations and merchandise up,” senior Caroline Gibbons said. “I still feel like we’re still celebrating the New Year.”

It feels like Christmas and New Years have downplayed in their celebration because stores are already moving on to the next holiday – Valentine’s Day.

For more information about Macy’s Day merchandise click here.

The arrival of Christmas season always seems to signal a frenzy to procure the latest technologies. For the citizens of Coppell, 2011 was no different - thousands across the city received items such as the Kindle Fire and the Apple TV. Outdated gadgets of years past have been quickly replaced by their updated counterparts and are no longer needed. But what are people supposed to do with their old computers or television sets? That’s what Coppell’s electronics recycling program has been introduced to address.

The “At Your Door Special Collection” was put into effect at the start of November and is now reaching its busiest stretch: the weeks following Christmas. In a partnership with Waste Management, Coppell has devised a process in which used technology, as well as household chemicals, can be picked up at one’s doorstep. All one has to do is call 1-800-449-7587 or e-mail atyourdoor@wm.com and a Waste Management team will drop by to pick up unwanted electronic devices or other hazardous waste.

The “At Your Door Special Collection” program is highly flexible and replaces the electroncis recycling events that were formerly held at Town Center, as Waste Management can pick up your waste even when nobody is home.

No matter how hideous your old technology is, it does not belong in the garbage. Most electronics contain hazardous material such as heavy metals, which can be detrimental and deleterious if not disposed of properly. But don’t worry, Waste Management is here to take care of these issues for you as part of the “At Your Door Special Collection”. For more detailed information about the program, click here.

Opinions Editor

Hundreds of volunteers had the opportunity to play Santa this past weekend when they helped out at the Christmas Store, an effort by Valley Ranch Baptist Church to provide underprivileged children with presents this season.

Through a partnership with Cornerstone Baptist Church, Valley Ranch has been able to provide aid to families in South Dallas needing a little help for the holidays. Cornerstone reviews each family to determine the need and register children for the store.

Then when the time comes, their parents (or grandparents) go to Valley Ranch via buses that the church provides, while children are watched at Cornerstone. The guests are then provided with dinner and are taken to each of the gift rooms set up by age group to shop for Christmas presents.

“This is our 11^th year to do the Cornerstone Christmas Store,” Minister of Community and Global Missions Amy Wilkins said. “I know this year we registered 1,325 children, which means about 450 or 500 adults [visit the store]. Cornerstone registers all of our guests that come from South Dallas they go through the local elementary schools. We also have guests from Coppell and Valley Ranch, and we go through three elementary schools as well.”

The church’s aim is to give the Christmas Store the atmosphere of a normal shopping experience, as well as to give the guests the greatest amount of comfort they can.

One aspect of the Christmas Store that was implemented last year was the GPS position.

“GPS stands for ‘Guide, Pray, Serve’,” Wilkins said. “And that is a person who will walk through the entire store with them and get to know them and develop a relationship with them. Then toward the end of the Christmas Store while [the guests] are waiting for their gifts to be wrapped, they will have a chance to go into the sanctuary and [the GPS] will share the Gospel with them, and [they will] pray for each other. Not just us for them, but have them pray for us as well.”

Valley Ranch looks to form lasting relationships with their guests, and the GPS will call the guests and even spend time with them after the Store is over.

“As we get to walking along, we get to speak to them, talk to them about their family, the age of the kids and what their interested in,” GPS Bill Wilson said. “And also what their situation is, what church do they attend and [we get the opportunity] to be able to, somewhere in the line, you’ll find out what we need to pray for, and once we get to the sanctuary we get to share the gospel with them.”

The people in charge of planning the Christmas Store start months in advance, raising money by auctioning off items people donate and using it to buy high-quality gifts for their guests to choose from.

No one can truly measure the good that the Store does, but one can get a good idea just by looking around.

“[The Store] means a whole lot,” guest Lilian Cluis said. “The people here are great. They greet you very nicely and introduce themselves, and I am overwhelmed by the way they treat you.”

Valley Ranch also has a second Christmas Store in Lima, Peru, in partnership with the local church, El Buene Pastor.

Christmas Store 2011 from Coppell Student Media on Vimeo.

On Dec. 21, the 2011 Jingle Bell Run will take place at the Hilton Anatole in Dallas. This will be a very fun event for all ages as there is a 1 mile race as well as a 5k. Part of the fun is also seeing everyone dressed up as reindeers, elves and Santas. The race will begin at 6:30 and costs 25 dollars for those wishing to register on the day of the race. The Jingle Bell Run benefits the Trinity Strand Trail and the Mavericks Foundation.

To register for the race, click here.

Photos by Brian Hwu, Rowan Khazendar, and Rachel Bush.

Throughout this entire week, students have been sporting “tacky” Christmas sweaters as a means of showing their love for Christmas festivities and the anticipation of the two week break. On Friday, the day before the holiday break, sweaters will be seen at full force and holiday parties will be going on in many classes.

In addition to the Christmas parties and activities going on in many classes, students are especially excited about Friday being a half day. Students at the high school will be given a head start on their break being released at 2 p.m.

Be sure to show off your favorite  sweater tomorrow at school CHS!

Along with the Christmas season come Christmas lights, one of the most beloved traditions of the holidays.  For many families in the community, driving to look at Christmas lights is a must.

“Going to different places to look at houses with awesome Christmas lights is one of my favorite parts of the season,” Junior Tanner McCord says.  “It’s something my family does together pretty much every year.”

He isn’t alone.  Many CHS students love looking at lights, but have become gradually bored by the same city lights year after year.  Luckily for everyone here in Coppell, a world of variety lies within the entire Dallas area.  Anyone has the opportunity to take advantage of this bright lights that accompany this time of year.

For some ideas on nearby places to try, check out this map linked on dallasnews.com

With Christmas just one week away, time is running out to send Santa his mail.

Kids can mail their completed wish lists, letters and questions and drop it in Santa’s mailbox located at Town Center through Coppell’s “Direct-to-the-North Pole-letter-delivery”.

No postage is needed and community members say Santa’s helpers will make their final pick-up on Tues. Dec. 20.

There are many ways to spread holiday cheer among students in the remaining days before the break. Although there is plenty of spirited clothing and holiday music to go around, many clubs and organizations within CHS are participating in holiday spirited events.

There are a multitude of ‘Secret Santas’ roaming the halls for classes such as Cross Country and Round-Up Yearbook. Other student organizations like the EMAC Academy and girls’ soccer are planning Christmas parties to be held next week with gift exchanges.

The Model UN is also selling CandyGrams for students to send to each other as a token of holiday appreciation, and all proceeds go towards their participation in state-wide competitions. The CandyGrams are 1 for $1 or 3 for $2.

Specific departments of CHS, such as the media department, have also adopted families to shop for to make their holiday season better, putting everyone in the giving spirit.

The holiday cheer is flowing through the halls of CHS already, and there is still five more days until the break.

Many students at CHS have family traditions where they pile into their family car and drive around town, viewing the assortment of decorated houses. The luminous Christmas lights have become a favorite in the eyes of many people as each year families show off their creativity and spend quality time together donning their house with various decorations.

The tradition carries on with Coppell family man Jim Hall, who takes the traditional decorated house to a whole new level. Not only is his house beautifully decorated with an assortment of lights and trees, the lights on his house are actually synchronized to Christmas songs.

Hall has his own broadcast station on which he chooses an arrangement of songs and has them playing through the station. In his cul-de-sac, cars can tune their radio to 107.3 FM to listen in on the music. For those who want to enjoy the outside ambiance, they can sit on a bench provided by Hall and listen and observe the sight through a speaker outside his house.

The outside speaker plays until 8 p.m.; then it shuts off in respect of Hall’s neighbors. However, the radio station that can be accessed in people’s cars until 9 p.m.. People are encouraged to come and bring their families to enjoy this one of a kind light show.

“The kids really enjoy watching [the light show],” junior Hannah Griffiths, Hall’s neighbor, said. “They think it is cool that the lights synchronize with the music.”

The house is truly something to see, with the dazzling lights flashing in time with the upbeat songs, and the heartwarming nativity scene, it is a sight to be seen firsthand. The newest attractions to Hall’s house are the lighted icicles hanging from the tree and a “Merry Christmas” sign against the brick house underneath the right window. The song list this year includes favorites such as “Jingle Bells”, “Santa Clause is Coming to Town”, and “Deep in the Heart of Texas”.

“During Christmas time I listen to the radio, and I pick about ten songs and envision how it will look,” Hall said. “The elements generally stay the same; I mainly figure out if the song will work out or not, then it comes down to the order of the show.  I try to get a flow through the show and I try to balance it out with some techno songs and rock songs. This year it’s heavy on the rock music.”

Besides picking the songs that go into this light show, Hall has a considerable amount of physical setup and programming to do in order to get the perfect show. This year, he used 110 channels of light with a total of 16,000 lights the puts up. He starts setting up the outside decorations Nov. 1, but the programming he does is year round.

“[Hall] does a great job at setting up the show,” neighbor and junior Bailey Aguilar said. “It’s enjoyable for everyone and it is a new family tradition of mine to see the show. You can tell that a lot of hard work goes into this production and it is definitely appreciated by everyone.”

Hall is not the only one in the Dallas area with a light show house. Lonestarholidays.com provides a contact link page with a display map of all the light shows on a map for people to visit.

A good way to soak up the holiday cheer is to head down to the Hall house for a free light show, filled with catchy music and the hypnotizing light performance. It is a great activity for the family, as well as a fun hangout for friends. However, in respect of the neighborhood and the Hall household, it is appreciated if attendees keep the noise level to a minimum in order not to wake up the Hall children and the other families in the neighborhood.

“Wide assortments of people come, from families with young kids, to the show choir, Vivace!, that came out to sing one year which was interesting; we get a wide variety of people. Overall it is a family friendly environment,” Hall said

With the growth of ideas such as Hall’s comes the time for new family traditions; this year a big one on many people’s lists is to see the new lightshow put on by Hall and his family. The pastime of viewing Christmas lights has turned into its own Christmas light show that is sure to dazzle many with its vibrant show filled with joy and good tidings.