🗓️Seasonal🗓️

A small boy was talking to his friend in Singapore when he heard the beckoning call from downstairs. He said his salutations and finished the call then rushed to the living room. The staircase was lined with colorful garland and resting in front of the door sat a cozy snowman doormat. He turned and entered the large living room, a large Christmas tree sat in the far corner. The mother waved her hand, calling the boy to her. She had a large smile on her face, brimming from ear to ear.

Imagine being a young explorer, sailing across the high seas to a new uncharted territory. This is what the Pilgrims probably felt like when crossing the ocean to America. Their ship, the Mayflower, landed in Plymouth, Massachusetts on November 11, 1620. The first year was long and arduous. However, in 1621 the Pilgrims had their first successful harvest. This is where the story starts.

What foods are most commonly associated with Thanksgiving? Perhaps turkey? Mashed potatoes? Or maybe even pie? If you are a NorthStar Academy student, you might associate fried rice with Thanksgiving. NSA students come from all around the world. This means that when it comes to the holidays, in many ways a lot of their celebrations look very similar, but in some ways they may look different. 

Fall is the season of thankfulness, and with the abundant blessings God gives us throughout the year, it is an excellent time to take a moment and recognize what we are thankful for and how He has worked in our lives.

Fall is upon us. With the change of the weather comes changes in society. Yes, this may seem extreme, but a lot of things change with the coming of fall. For example, new activities begin and new drinks are consumed. This is just a part of our ever-changing world. However, fall seems to be a controversial time for some. If you were to ask our staff about their thoughts on fall, half would say they loved it, and the other half would probably scoff at you. After being asked to fill out a form, the Navigator staff is here to give their opinions on all things fall!

*Always check with your parents before following any advice or suggestions in this article. The Navigator is not responsible for any consequences resulting from following our advice.

As many people finish putting away their Christmas decorations, a new holiday is just around the corner. Valentine's Day is a holiday celebrated on the fourteenth of February. The holiday is centered around love and being romantic; cupid, hearts, flowers, and chocolates are just a few examples. You will commonly see the color pink or red around this time. Local craft stores supply your every Valentine's Day need. While this holiday is enjoyable to celebrate, the question often arises of why we celebrate it. Where did the idea of Cupid or hearts originate in connection to this holiday?

The first ever NorthStar Academy Christmas Art Competition is officially over! We’ve kicked off the first competition with so many wonderful art submissions. They were everything we wished for, and more! We were overwhelmed by the number of entries we received – each one creative and inspiring in its own way. Ultimately, there was one submission that stood out from the rest and had earned the judge’s hearts. Never the less, the large amounts of creativity that we were able to see in each art submission, was astonishing. This was a tough decision to make, to which had sparked some debate between the judges. 

Sleds, sleigh bells, and Santa; music, mangers, and merry greetings; cookies, cards, and choirs - the Christmas season is here!

Christmas is nearly upon us. This year, let us take a look at what the members of the Navigator team are planning to do to celebrate the holiday!

Do you and your family have specific traditions you do every year around Christmas? For me, my family and I always go to the tree lighting on our square and go look at Christmas lights. Just like this tradition is unique to my family, so are other traditions to other countries. For example, France, Germany, and Australia all have different practices. Those countries will be our main focus. All of these countries have unique customs surrounding Christmas. Some of these practices are unique to one country or shared by many.

NorthStar Academy's Visual Arts Club provides students with hands-on art experiences through hands-on activities and artist sharing. It promotes diverse creative genres such as pottery, painting, illustration, digital art, charcoal, chalk, sculpture, and printing by encouraging innovation and competition participation. Students interested in the visual arts make up the Visual Arts Club. The Visual Arts Club's mission is to promote the arts by participating in different art contests, meetings, and events.

After an extra few responses to this year’s valentine’s day advice article, here is part two, specially for you. 

*Advice and suggestions should be taken with a grain of salt and the Navigator is not liable for any personal negative consequences that may result from following our advice.

When it comes to matters of the heart, anything and everything can easily become difficult. Within a moment, you could either feel like fainting or running into someone’s arms… that is if you’re an 18th-century romantic. Nonetheless, our relationship/dating world is just becoming more and more complicated. It’s often hard to know what to do. Below is the second edition of the Navigator’s top relationship advice!

I haven’t heard any actual sleigh bells yet, but all around me the signs are clear that the Christmas holiday season is upon us.  Trees are up, houses are strewn with decorative lights, and Santa is hanging out at the local shopping mall.  And while it may look different elsewhere, folks in over 160 countries around the world are engaging in whatever their local Christmas holiday traditions are. 

In honor of the upcoming Christmas festivities, I thought I’d take an unconventional spin with this article. Bear with me as I become a talk show host and interview food which most definitely can speak with me. Excuse me while I grab my heels and Christmas sweater…

Happy Holidays folks, and welcome to Food for Thought, where we interview the world’s leading cuisine to learn about their finer points. Today we have some classic Christmas friends from across the globe – please welcome Gingerbread House, Cinnamon Roll, Christmas Cookie, Panettone, Stollen Bread, White Fudge, and Christmas Pudding!

Is true Christmas dead?

Christmas started in Rome in about 336 A.D. It started as a Christian festival celebrating the birth of Jesus. Because, even if we do not know the exact day that Jesus was born, we still set out a day in the year when we especially focus on celebrating Him. Christmas, from the origin, “mass on Christ’s day,” has been celebrated for centuries throughout generations and across continents (Hillerbrand). It is a special day set out to celebrate the birth and life of Jesus Christ, who sacrificed Himself on the cross and died for our sins. It’s a day to realize who Jesus was, and what He gave us, and then to pass on that gift and kindness toward others. Yet, how many people these days are really celebrating Christmas for this reason?

A lot of people this past Halloween season did not celebrate Halloween. According to Focus on the Family, some people believe that Halloween is a worship of the devil. So, should Christians celebrate Halloween? What do NorthStar students think about Halloween? I for one have been on both sides. For 10 years of my life, Halloween was a holiday that was never celebrated in my house. We would never give candy to people. We would turn all the lights out to make it seem like my family was not home. My family moved overseas when I was 10, and we met other Christian families who did celebrate Halloween. Their ideas influenced my parents; now, we do go trick-or-treating. So, I do not believe that celebrating Halloween is right or wrong.

When it comes to matters of the heart, anything and everything can easily become difficult. Within a moment, you could either feel like fainting or running into someone’s arms… that is if you’re an 18th century romantic. Nonetheless, with whatever love-struck dilemma you may have encountered, there is always advice to be had. Below is some advice for people who submitted the situations where Cupid’s bow and arrow may wrought some havoc in their lives.

Christmas has been celebrated since 336 AD. For most, it’s a holiday that brings people and families together, it allows people to serve and give to each other, and it gives us an opportunity to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. Elements and different celebrations of Christmas and Jesus’ birth can be seen across the world during the holidays, but how do different countries and cultures celebrate Christmas?

Christmas is my favorite time of year! Everyday seems to become more exciting in the midst of the holiday season. This year, a particular part of the nativity story interested me: the gifts that were given to Jesus, gold, frankincense, and myrrh. It’s fascinating to think about the significance these items would have had in the past since they each have so much significance in Middle Eastern culture today. So, as we think about what gifts we might give and receive this year, let’s take a closer look at the gifts Jesus was given as well.