Christmas in Greece! By Grace Becker

Greek literature is obviously a major topic we discuss in class and how the Greeks lived through ancient mythology, but what about the modern Greece culture? More specifically, Christmas! Compared to Christmas in America, I have found some really interesting similarities. Let's take the Christmas Tree in Rockefeller Center for example, which for many people, is a great attraction during the holidays. However, in Greece, they have something quite similar. In Aristotelous Square, every December in the city of Thessaloniki, a large Christmas Tree along with a three masted ship are set up and lit. This is a major tourist attraction in Greece.
But there are also many differences between our cultures. We know of Santa Claus as the gift giver on Christmas, however in Greece, the gifts are brought to children by Aghios Vassilis, also known as Saint Basil. And instead of coming on Christmas Day, the gifts are brought to the children in the New Year on January 1st.
Overall, it is surprising to see the differences yet many similarities there are in these two cultures. However, this holiday and new year are a very important celebration in both.
Merry Christmas, or how they say in Greek, Kala Christougenna!

"Dream Big" by Liz Ukstins

Walking into Mrs. Kopp's classroom is like embarking on a journey of self discovery. Countless motivational posters hang on the four walls, decorating the bare, white bricks with colorful sayings. Near the door into the classroom is a small, rainbow colored poster. It says, "Dream big." How does one dream bigger?

How can one dream better?

Lucid dreaming is the ability to be completely knowledgeable of dreams, including being able to control minor details in those dreams. Although lucid dreaming is not synonymous with dream control, lucid dreaming allows the dreamer to have almost unlimited fantasy fulfillment. There is a simple way to train oneself to dream lucidly. In order to do this, one must start by doing a reality test in a dream. A reality test is an action taken in a dream to see if the dreamer is in control. An example would be looking at a wrist watch. If the time changes while the dreamer is looking at it, there is a chance that lucid dreaming is occurring. Studies show that text in dreams change 75% of the time when looked at once, and change 95% of the time when looked at twice. If the dreamer notices changes that they initiated previously, then the dreamer is most likely lucid. Next, the dreamer must imagine that their surroundings are a dream, even if they're not certain that they are. A trick would be to say (or think) to yourself, "I may not be dreaming right now, but if I was, what would I be doing?" This step requires a large imagination. The dreamer must vividly imagine themselves completing tasks that could not be accomplished in normal day life, such as flying. The dreamer must hold the feeling of vivid visualization in order to complete step three. Step three includes visualizing other ventures (i.e. talking to dream characters, flying, completing tasks, adventuring). The feeling of vivid visualizing cannot be lost, or else the lucid dreaming will end.

For more information on lucid dreaming:

http://www.lucidity.com/LucidDreamingFAQ2.html#techniques