With the fall semester coming to a close, many of us have to pack up our stuff and travel back home for winter break.
Winter break signifies the beginning of the holiday season. Many families have their own traditions, and although some have the same traditions as others, each family is unique in their own way.
“My family is not actually religious but we still celebrate Christmas more as like a family thing instead of a religious thing. We get a real tree every year and Christmas morning we all wake up and eat brunch and then after lunch we open our presents,” first-year instrumental performance major, Hanah Kavanaugh said.
“We spend time with family, go to a family member’s house, watch movies, and play games,” senior marketing major Drew McCollum said.
Some even put up Christmas decorations the moment the Thanksgiving meal is finished.
“For Thanksgiving my family gets together and then we immediately jump into Christmas, we put up the lights, the tree, and then decorate the whole house,” Logan Foster, junior vocal performance major, said.
Many students look forward to the wholesome family time that they will spend with their parents and siblings, but many like to joke about how out of the box their traditions are.
“We watch Hallmark movies and my dad yells at my mom. My dad makes a snack table while my brother plays Xbox,” first-year early childhood education major, Grace Morgan said.
Many students like to focus on the variety of foods that come with the holidays.
“One person buys the ham, usually who is hosting, and everybody else brings a side dish,” first-year biology major, Camille Simpson said.
“I like to watch the Grinch and make Christmas cookies and eat them,” senior political science major, Hunter Patterson said.
A common theme that recurred throughout each student’s traditions was the combination of family time.
“On Christmas Eve, my family and I make hot chocolate and little snacks. We watch our old family videos from when my brother and I were little,” first-year biology nursing major, Alejandra Zamara said.
“We usually go to church on Christmas Eve and then my mom gives us Christmas pajamas and then in the morning we open our presents and then go to our Aunt’s house to eat in our pajamas,” junior emerging media major, Tara Zinser said.
“We always go to my grandfather’s house on Christmas Eve and we always do stocking gifts at that time and we always have baked spaghetti every year,” senior theatre and public relations major, Dominique Mclntyre said.
Hannakah is also a very popular way of celebrating the holiday season.
“Since I am a half Jew I light half of the Menorah for my holiday tradition,” first-year music industry major, Emily Lutman said.
The holidays may be stressful but when students begin to travel back to campus for the spring semester, they will be able to look back on these holiday traditions and maybe pass them onto their future families when the time comes.
