A little more conversation

Editorial | December 14th, 2016

We can sit and post and kvetch about the commercialization of the holidays until we are blue in the face, but personally, the thing that I appreciate the most is holiday baking -- especially making springerle with my grandma. Springerle are a traditional German Christmas cookie, often made with wooden forms--some of ours are over 100 years old and happen to be family heirlooms. Each cookie is a relief print and an individual edible work of art.

The serious baking begins once she brings out her trusty old cookbook, which is discolored from years of use and whose margins are filled with notes and improvements on traditional German recipes--all in her native tongue, of course.

Every year grandma will tell me of how much pride her father took in making the perfect batch of springerle, and how her family would pass the mixing bowl around the table--hand mixing the stiff batter before they had the luxury of an electric mixer.

These are the moments we need to relish -- put your phones away unless you’re taking photos (or if you’re on call). The holidays are a time to be reflective and sentimental. Embrace the ones you care about. Share and collect as many stories and memories as you can. Learn some soon-to-be-forgotten traditions or start some new ones.

I’ve had the chance to visit with a few friends in the history field, through HPR interviews and research for a personal project. The common thread in these conversations was the importance of collecting oral histories before it’s too late. In that context, it was in reference to research coinciding with an exhibit -- but it made my gears turn while thinking about conversations around the dinner table. Though they don’t always have to be about the past: look forward to the upcoming year and enjoy each other’s company.

It’s been a tough year to say the least. Let’s let it end on a positive note.

Picture this

We are constantly on the lookout for images to be used to accompany our editorial. The image doesn’t necessarily have to have anything to do with the content of the editorial -- we’re a little like magpies around here. We love beautiful sparkly images, and I’m sure our followers do too. We’re big fans of Instagram these days. There’s a lot less conflict and it brings one back to the good old days of social media, back to the days of photos of kids, food, pets, and cool stuff. Maybe not necessarily in that order.

We’re not only seeking photos of everyday or extraordinary life -- tag us in your art posts. What shows are you going to? Show us the scene jelly bean but be sure to tag and share it with #hpredpic. It will be a “you scratch our back and we scratch yours” scenario. It’s your job to beautify the internet and we’ll provide you with the fame and notoriety of publishing your photo on page three. Could this be the start of a mutually beneficial readership? We hope so.

We are also always on the lookout for writers. Our writer base relies on volunteers and consists of students and community members who want to provide a voice or become more active in our community. We love our volunteers. We would be lost without them. They’re the pulp that holds the paper together.

Contributing to the HPR can be a valuable addition to a resume or a foothold to get into the journalism field (that's what I did!). We're always on the lookout for talented writers, copy editors, graphic designers, and photographers. We welcome our interns with open arms -- literally. We’re big huggers around the office.

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