Many of us look back on the holidays with fondness. The Christmas and New Year season, bright against a midwinter backdrop, is characterized by joy and warmth. We often look forward to the holidays because of the special events we celebrate yearly with our friends and family. However, festivities can vary vastly, even within South High’s own student body, because holiday celebrations are imbued with rich traditions, whether they be cultural or self-made. So, how do students at South High celebrate the holidays?
For Colin Hu and Caden Li, the holidays are full of thrill and movement. Each year, they travel to Lake Placid to ski and snowboard with their family and a large group of friends. Arriving the day before Christmas, they are always met with Christmas lights, decorations, and a local town filled with activities from dogsledding to ice skating. On the first day, the group of over thirty people traditionally dine together.
“It’s special since it’s the only time my brother always comes back from college to visit.” Hu reminisced. “It’s a family reunion while also hanging out with friends. It’s also a reminder to do the simple things. Just go outside and relive your younger self and the first falls of snow. Make a snow angel, brew a hot chocolate, or start a campfire—you’ll be surprised at how much better this will make you feel.”
But the real focus of the trip is getting on the slopes. “You don’t want to waste your time sleeping, so you wake up when it is still a little dark,” Li described. “You kind of rush eating breakfast. You go outside. It’s kind of cold. In the beginning, it’s not that bright, but later on, when you take off your goggles, the snow is blinding. You get in the huge line for the gondola, and when you get to the top, the wind quiets down. You wait for everyone to get to the top and then ski down.”
The trip represents more than just pure fun, however. For Hu and Li, it is a break from an academically stressful time of year; traveling annually to ski resonates with their goal to enjoy life more. “It really just lets you explore the beauty of the Earth all while doing it alongside your friends and family,” Hu commented. “It’s a time where I can find solace in the midst of grueling schoolwork; I usually leave the break with a more positive attitude.”
“It’s a good way to end the year,” Li agreed. “You know the saying that people remember the beginning and the ending of a presentation the most? It’s the same for this trip—we end the year on a good note, so when you think back on the previous years, you can always say, hey, that year wasn’t too bad.”
While some are away having fun in the snow, others, like Neha George, enjoy the warmth of family and a home-cooked meal. “My aunt lives like a street over from me, so either at her house or my house, my whole family gathers and celebrates Christmas together,” George said. “There’s a big dining room table and a smaller table in the kitchen. My cousins and I usually sit at the small table because there aren’t enough seats; we can still hear and take part in the conversations at the big table but also have our own conversations. It’s loud and lively and a lot of fun.”
Each year, George celebrates the holidays within her other communities as well, including her church. “On Christmas Eve, I usually play in the handbell choir for mass,” George described. “Then we come home, and since it’s Christmas Eve, we get to open at least one present. In early December, we put up our tree in our living room, as well as a nativity set. My mom also makes a cake that we cut right after church.”
The celebrations also reflect her culture. “The food varies from year to year,” George commented. “There are some more Americanized foods, but then there’s also Indian-type foods, too.”
Most importantly, the holidays emphasize George’s connection with her family. “My family’s always been very close,” George noted. “It’s in my family to always talk to one another, no matter how far away we are. I feel like the closeness of being with those you love is very important.”
Similarly, Nara Lee cooks and celebrates with her family, but in her own unique way. “Usually, my family meets up with my uncles and aunts that live in New Jersey,” Lee said. “ We make all the food together and then have a lot of fun playing board games. It’s honestly kind of chaotic, and I end up having too many food comas.”
Lee’s family meals are also colored by her culture. “When we make food, we always have a little cultural twist to it,” Lee explained. “Since I’m Korean, we can’t go on without rice or these little vegetable pancakes, and there’s always kimchi and other small side dishes. I remember one time we had marinated raw crab. But even though I love seafood, my go-to dish is probably mac and cheese.”
For Nara, the tradition has been going on since her youth. “The most vivid imagery I have is going to my uncle’s house in New Jersey,” Lee recounted. “It’s about an hour’s drive, and little Nara would obviously be groggy waking up at 7 am on a school break. At my uncle’s house, the minute I open the door, I see steam everywhere, and every single surface in the kitchen and on the dining table is full. I would run away outside with my cousin, and we would just go to the woods and play for a few hours until it’s time to eat. I sit at the adults’ table, and I’m just shoveling too much food onto my plate. Overall, every time the holidays come, I feel happier, and I like to see what advice I can get from my elders and others in my family. There are just so many connections during the holidays and it’s something that you really shouldn’t take for granted.”
The holidays thus serve as moments to remember that it is important to find time to connect with family and friends even within the school year. It is also essential to understand the diverse traditions that happen among families of different cultures; no two people celebrate the holidays the same, but for everyone, it is filled with love and eager anticipation for the upcoming year.
