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NEXTnc Gift Guide: The art of giving - Holiday Gift Guide |
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Written by Erin Frustaci
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Thursday, 23 November 2006 |
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Page 7 of 8
BULKY, SHAPELESS ROOM FOR FUN
Sandra Machuca
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What holiday item has twinkling lights, fake snow and ornaments on it?
If you guessed a Christmas tree, you’re wrong. The correct answer? A Christmas sweater.
Holiday style can be clean, elegant and sophisticated. But it can also be big, bulky, shapeless and, well, ugly. Holiday sweaters fill that niche, and their ugliness is an accepted fact of holiday existence.
Yes, there are lots of people out there who own ugly Christmas sweaters against their will. They are made by mothers, grandmothers, aunts and perhaps a crazy friend who likes to knit.
Receiving a Christmas sweater is always interesting, and wearing one is even more so.
Thankfully, the masses have turned their anxiety and self-consciousness into a shared feeling.
There are support groups out there — usually in the form of a holiday party — that focus on having fun with what you’re given, instead of being embarrassed.
These parties have a name that usually starts with “Ugly,” “Tacky” or “Funny” but always include the words “Christmas Sweater Party.”
The bright side is that it’s pretty easy to figure out what to wear.
There is nothing like getting wrapped in your knitted, crocheted or otherwise hand-assembled sweater and forgetting — just for the night — that you look completely ridiculous... at least until the pictures get developed.
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|  | "Humankind cannot gain anything without first giving something in return. To obtain, something of equal value must be lost. That is Alchemy's first law of Equivalent Exchange. In those days, we really believed that to be the world's one, and only truth." | |
|  | We're not that bright, even though in our own little world, we're geniuses. We like 80s hair bands and one-hit wonders, but among us we have respectable tastes, too. Metallica, Iron Maiden, U2. Pursuit of all things trivial is a lifestyle, not just a game. We like some sports, love other sports, and can find something to say about anything. We watch TV and movies and we've read a book or two, even a few classics (Yes, Classic Comics count!)
We call it insight, you call it what you will. | |
|  | Felix Wong is an outdoor enthusiast living in Fort Collins. A mechanical engineer by day, he is especially passionate about bicycling, running, and backpacking. | |
|  | Hola Amigos! I'm Sandra. I like to believe that people are 70 percent good and 30 percent dumb. I'm stickin to that story. Reading this blog might make you want to be good, but probably just dumb. | |
|  | Donovan Henderson is editor of NEXTnc. | |
|  | Here at Nextnc we have some characters. Get a sneak peak behind the curtain and find out what amusing antics our staffers get themselves into on a weekly basis. | |
|  | What is up FoCo?
I am a recent college graduate of Minnesota State University Moorhead. After recieving my B.A. in English and Mass Communications this past August I moved down to Colorado.
I enjoy long walks on the beach, candlelight dinners, and heavy metal. My hobbies include reading and writing, music, movies, and getting drunk. Some of my favorite contemporary authors include Bret Easton Ellis, Chuck Palahniuk, and Kurt Vonnegut. My top movies are anything directed by Kubrick. I enjoy listening to anything that rocks.
Right now I am just trying to get to know Colorado and FoCo better. Mostly in order to find the best drink specials on each day that ends in Y. So if you know where I can get a cheap drunk on, let me know!
--Drew | |
|  | Life's little morsels of inspiration, observation and encouragement seen through the eyes of the Nextnc reporter.
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|  | Ms. Giles currently lives in Colorado where she stars in her own private reality show. She writes aphoristic accounts of her life, taken completely out of context, and embellished with characters and situations disguised to resemble something close to interesting. | |
|  | over and out | |
| | My name is Michelle Turley and I'm 28 years old. I live in Severance with my hubbie, Brandon. We have 2 dogs and a cat. We enjoy camping, four-wheeling, and just being in the mountains. I like to cook, clean (go figure), flea market, and play poker. I have so much to say about poker... | |
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