Snowfall and Smiles: students and staff share their favorite holiday traditions

Olivia DeWan | staff writer

The holiday season is just around the corner, but because of COVID-19 people are looking forward to the holidays even more. The holidays are great for students to take a break from the stress and hard work that school requires.

“I’m looking forward to not sitting at a computer for six hours,” junior Kayla Spratt said.

The break also allows students to spend more time with their loved ones.

“I’m looking forward to spending more time with my family and getting more sleep,” sophomore Maggie Hronik said.  

3. Maggie Hronik bakes lots of Christmas cookies. A few years ago, she was helping her mom make whisky cakes. Photo courtesy of Maggie Hronik.

Another thing the holidays are great for is holiday traditions. “Every year on Thanksgiving my grandparents give us a nutcracker,” said junior Lily Takemoto. “We have over twenty nutcrackers that we set up each year.”

Of course, with COVID Takemoto’s tradition changed during this year’s holiday. “This year, because we couldn’t see any family, my grandparents just mailed us a nutcracker,” she said.

On a different set of traditions, sophomore Elena Wigglesworth celebrates the holidays in a different way. “I make gingerbread houses, bake cookies and other desserts, decorate for Christmas, and spend time with my friends and family.”

2. Elena Wigglesworth does lots of baking around the holidays. Last year she made a bûche de Noel for Christmas Eve dessert. Photo courtesy by Elena Wigglesworth.

Then again, COVID interrupted her tradition. “I won’t get to see my extended family this year,” she said. “Though I should be able to do most of my other traditions.”

Similarly to Wigglesworth’s traditions, Hronik also does baking. “Every year we make cookies,” she said. “Because of COVID we have more time to make them.”

Instead of impacting her tradition in a negative way, COVID allowed her to spend more time with her favorite holiday tradition.

“My parents are with us on every Christmas Eve,” biology teacher Crystal Wolfgang said of her usual holiday plans. “We go to church and every Christmas morning we have cinnamon rolls and open presents.”

1. Crystal Wolfgang and her family watched “Elf” last Christmas while her parents visited. Photo courtesy by Crystal Wolfgang.

Unlike Hronik, COVID is going to make a significant change to Wolfgang’s holiday.

“My parents won’t be there this year because of an issue with moving and needing to be free of COVID,” she said. “It will be the first time of my son’s twenty one years that he won’t have his grandparents around on Christmas morning to be with him.”

If students were at school, they would have participated in a number of activities surrounding the holidays, most of which have been put on hold during the pandemic.

“My favorite thing I did at school before winter break was working with the UNICEF Club,” said sophomore Bella Whelchel. “I felt like I was helping people.”

Usually, the week leading to winter break is filled with class parties and movies.

In Bryan Boeing’s Spanish class, students would watch the movie “Coco” and drink Mexican hot chocolate.

Though this year, students didn’t get a movie or a party, but some students didn’t seem to mind at all.

“I can’t wait for winter break,” said Whelchel. “It gives you a chance to relax and not worry about school.”

Disclaimer: In compliance with governor’s orders, all school-sponsored activities followed physical distancing and mask requirements, but due to the nature of COVID-19 limiting school activities, the community was invited to submit pictures for the newspaper. Many of these photos occurred on private residential property and therefore may not conform to the regulations binding school-sponsored activities.