By JEFFREY CARDENAS and TIFFANY MERRITT
With finals behind students and the winter holiday looming ahead, New Mind Education hosted its final Student Life activity of the semester: a Christmas party on December 10. The party had an intimate atmosphere at the UNCG faculty center, with just New Mind students and staff attending.
The main activity of the party was a Secret Santa gift exchange between the students. Prior to the party, students were asked to send in their academic majors and their hobbies so that they could be assigned someone to buy a gift for. To bring a more authentic experience to the American Christmas experience, each student was given a stocking full of smaller gifts including trial-size designer brand personal hygiene products, Christmas-themed hand sanitizers, Chinese candy, school supplies, and hand warmers. New Mind staff watched with pleasure as the students opened presents and witnessed the students’ happiness as they received gifts from their fellow classmates. The experience made everyone feel more united.
On top of gifts and stockings, students had the opportunity to make Christmas snow globes out of plastic wine glasses. Students were able to fill their snow globes with miniature iconic Christmas symbols such as Christmas trees, bells, holly, gingerbread people, cookie cutters, and, of course, snow. Students also enjoyed Christmas-themed snacks such as reindeer donuts, snowmen cupcakes, spinach tortilla turkey wraps shaped like a Christmas tree, and strawberry Santas while they opened and compared their presents.
Overall, this semester-end holiday party gave the students a taste of the traditional American “Christmas morning” and brought them closer together to relax after their hard work this fall!
