December means the winter holidays are upon us; Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, the New Year, Solstice and all the favorite wintertime traditions are around the corner. While the big traditions are important, what many families remember are the little traditions that hold the most memories. 

At-home traditions are something that many students feel brings them into the holiday spirit.

“For me, I technically have 4 Christmases– one with my immediate family, another with my sister’s family, one with my mom’s side and another with my dad’s side,” Emily March (10) said.

March has been doing this Christmas tradition for multiple years. 

For junior Rawan Saidmaeruf, traveling for the New Year is a big part of her family’s tradition.

“It’s a tradition [that] we travel all over for the holidays. Each year we have a Gries, which is where we draw from a hat and the last one we draw is where we go,” Saidmaeruf said.

Traveling for the holidays means more than just going on a vacation over break for sophomore Soley Arcae.  

“I love when winter break comes around, each year I go to Peru to visit my family and it’s just so nice to reconnect,” Arcae said. 

Trips over the holidays can be a great way for families to connect which is how other students feel during their holiday break.

“We normally go to Texas or Florida for the holidays to see our family,” Amari Norwood (10) said.

Family time is another big part of the holiday season for the Norwood siblings.

“But it is still a lot of family time, like a lot, which isn’t bad but it ain’t great either,” Cherrish Norwood (9) added. 

Many students have traditions of spending their break with their loved ones.

“Over break my favorite part is probably spending time with my family, I love making new memories,” John Anderson (9) said.

Throughout Anderson’s winter vacation, he spends his time making cookies and gingerbread houses, along with building snowmen with his family.

“Yeah, they’re basic things everyone does but they mean a lot to me,” Anderson said.

New Year’s traditions are also always a very large part of people’s traditions, especially for those who don’t celebrate religious holidays.

“For me, since I don’t celebrate Christmas, New Year’s is a holiday that me and my family celebrate over break,” Yassine Assougdam (10) said.  

The holiday of New Year’s itself is something students look forward to every year along with the different family traditions that go with it.

“For me, my favorite family New Year’s tradition is eating 12 grapes under the table. I don’t know if other families do that, but for me, that’s a big one,” Kaitlyn Keegan (10) said.

For students like Keegan, eating 12 grapes underneath a table means good luck for the next year to come. However, Keegan is not the only one with family traditions that are found to be different among students. In Peru, there is a unique family tradition of lighting fireworks when it turns twelve at midnight.

“Everyone does it. When I tell you they’re on every block, and the minute it turns twelve, the sky is full with color,” Arcae said. 

Many families choose to do different things for the New Year. While some families choose to go out, other families choose to stay in for the holidays. 

“Spending New Year’s with my family and playing board is pretty much all we do on New Year’s, and honestly I don’t mind,” March said.

Everyone has traditions they celebrate over the winter break. Whether it be little gatherings with family or traditions celebrated within the community, everybody has some sort of celebration they choose to believe in that makes their holiday season special.