GHS Students Participate in Unique Holiday Traditions

Putting up a Christmas tree. Lighting up the candles of the menorah during Hanukkah. Holding a communal feast during Kwanzaa. All are standard aspects of the various celebrations that happen in December. But as time passes, and many people celebrate these traditional holidays, families eventually start to celebrate in their own ways.

Senior Hector Pagan’s Christmas season is highlighted by a special drink his family makes every year. “My mom makes coquito (without alcohol), which is a Christmas drink that’s popular in Puerto Rico. It’s similar to eggnog, but I could argue it’s better,” he said. 

Some holiday traditions are more personal, such as an activity done with a family member. “Me and my mom do a Christmas painting every year, and we started four years ago. I like doing it because it’s fun and the paintings always look good or funny afterward,” freshman Mason Resterhouse said.

Senior Glen Rogers’ tradition was put on hold for COVID, but he still plans to keep it alive. “Usually we take a trip to Connecticut to visit my dad’s side of the family for christmas, but it’s really sad that we can’t do that this year,” he said. “It’s something we’ve done for as long as I can remember, and though the drive is boring, I love seeing that side of the family because I don’t see them often. I plan to keep the tradition alive because it is a good tradition.”

Freshman Paisley Clement’s family celebrates a more common (though still unusual) German Christmas tradition. “On Christmas, someone hides a pickle ornament on the tree and whoever finds it first gets a little extra gift,” she said. “We have always done it, and I think it’s really fun.”

While some people have more tame, calm holiday seasons, others participate in many different traditions during the season. “We have lots of traditions in my household,” freshman Samantha Sarenac said. “Attending Dickens of a Village, Christmas Eve dinner with my grandpa and cousins, spending Christmas Eve at my dad’s house then going to my mom’s house, having a mini celebration with one of my aunts, and Serbian Christmas with my dad’s half of the family are just a few things that are normal around this time of year for me.”

Serbian Christmas, while similar to the Christmas many usually think of, is actually celebrated on Jan. 6 and Jan. 7, with the former being Christmas eve. “Because I am Serbian I actually don’t celebrate Christmas until Jan. 7, but the day before and the day of Christmas we usually go to church after our fast and pray,” freshman Katarina Zrnic said. “I plan to keep this tradition up in the future because I am proud of my culture.” 

And for many students, traditions their parents did with them are likely to move to the next generation. “I hope this tradition continues as long as possible even into the future generations with someone’s grandparent,” Sarenac said. “Even if you can’t stand one another sometimes, being with family around the holidays is always something to cherish and hold onto.”