Letter from the Editor: Making Winter Break Count

Take a look at your calendar: is December booked? If it is, good for you. But if it isn’t, you may be facing dread instead of joy in the great void of uncertainty that looms ahead.

Will you be stuck in the house or apartment? Without wheels? Sentenced to empty scrolling? Or will you find hidden gems, cool places to explore with friends or family? Perhaps you’ll try something or go somewhere new?

And yet, fun is never quite free. Some things, like hiking, cost nothing but the gas needed for transportation, while others, like nice dining and parties, can drain your wallet in an instant.

But don’t sweat it—scoping and planning for activities within your means will get you where you need to be. In this special edition of The VanCougar, we offer up options to help save you the hassle of finding ideas.

From basic necessities, fun things to do on a budget, shows and games to binge, and holiday date spots, we have curated an abundance of suggestions for all students seeking to survive the looming aura of a vacant December in this special issue: Winter Break Survival Guide.

Many of us will spend some time with family and friends, but not all of us celebrate the holidays. Life isn’t all jingle bells, Santa Claus, and candy canes— and the diverse, multicultural student body at WSU Vancouver exemplifies that. The future also holds much uncertainty, as the outcome of the presidential election will be hugely consequential. We see you, we hear you.

With the maelstrom that is the current political landscape and distress about all that is at risk in our lives, it can make sense to turn off the news for relief. So rather than hitting you over the head with our usual campus news coverage, let us instead shoulder the burden of finding cool stuff to do this December.

In the new year, The VanCougar will continue in our mission of keeping students informed about issues that matter, issues that have a great impact on our lives and experiences as students. Our work in journalism on this campus will be more important than ever before. As students ourselves, we care, and our work is evidence of that.