Finally, the holidays have arrived, and students are ready to be with their families and celebrate unique traditions. Students look forward to the holidays for many different reasons, whether they are cooking together as a family or just exchanging gifts.
“Being together with my family and spending time with my cousins [that are more like sisters to me] is what I like the most about the holidays,” said sophomore Jennifer Lopez.
The holidays bring happiness and joy to many families. Some students celebrate the holidays in different ways or even celebrate two holidays.
“Celebrating Christmas and Hanukkah is quite interesting; it’s always fun experiencing both of those holidays,” said sophomore Allie Kramer.
Some celebrations have different traditions lasting a few days, whether they are out of town or with their family.
“When I travel to Mexico, my family celebrates Las Posadas, which is from Dec. 16 to Christmas Eve. Children in my neighborhood often perform Las Posadas, which is a Hispanic celebration and a ritual reenactment of Mary and Joseph’s search. It’s often performed in neighborhoods filled with food stands and rides for little children,” said sophomore Manuel Alanis.
Students celebrate the holidays while enjoying special foods that they make with their families or do different traditions while being together. For example, they exchange gifts with a member of their family or they bring special dishes of food to share with their family members, such as baked potatoes, tamales, or a baked cake.
“Some of the foods we eat during the holidays are tamales, which is a dish made of masa, steamed or boiled in a leaf wrapper. We have pan de dulce, which is a bread with special toppings, like chocolate or vanilla flavored and churros, which is a fried-dough pastry and is sold all over Mexico,” Alanis said.
The holidays are celebrated in many unique ways depending on the family. Christmas is celebrated differently each year, whether it involves traveling or going to different family members’ houses. Each student likes many different things about the holidays every year.
“I like to listen to Christmas music, smell Christmas candles, see Christmas lights all over my house and see snow falling,” said sophomore Sophia Williams.
Having close family members that students don’t see frequently and being with family is what most students like about the holidays. Every year, the holidays are celebrated differently and students look to celebrations each year.