Elliott Cottington
Reporter
“Finally, the time has come where it is socially acceptable for me to start singing ‘All I want for Christmas is You’ again,” junior Astrid Toft-Nielsen said. With Christmas right around the corner and Hanukkah starting on Dec. 8, many students are beginning to embrace the holidays and all that they bring. However, there are many different ways that the families of students celebrate this festive time of year. Whether there is an annual argument over which tree is best, a roadtrip to visit extended family or singing and dancing for hours on end, the holidays are a unique experience for every student.
While most families wait until Christmas Day to open presents, junior Astrid Toft-Nielsen’s family actually celebrates the entire holiday on Christmas Eve. According to her, celebrating the night before is a tradition in her native Denmark. “Every Christmas Eve, we start off with a family dinner of goose, followed by the Danish equivalent of pancakes, æbleskiver,” she said.
However, dinner is only the beginning of a Danish Christmas celebration. “After dinner, we move onto lighting the tree, which is always decorated with small candles instead of lights,” she said. “Finally, we sing six different songs while holding hands and dancing around the tree. When we reach the final song, ‘Nu Er det Jul Igen’, which roughly translates to ‘It’s Christmas again,’ we all grab hands and run through every room in the house while singing.”
On the other hand, freshman Drew Hickey’s Christmas experience revolves around opening presents and getting the tree. “Every Christmas morning my mom puts on this channel on T.V. called the Yule Log, which is just an ongoing fire that plays Christmas music in the background,” he said. “We all sit down and open our presents while listening to the music and watching the fake fire on T.V.”
With siblings close in age to Drew, picking out the best tree is never an easy task. “Usually we all go together to try and find the perfect Christmas tree, but most of the time it ends in a fight because we can never decide on the correct size, shape or color.”
Similarly, sophomore Lauren Bell’s Christmas traditions focus on family time, especially with relatives she sees less often throughout the year. “Every year my dad, brothers and I go to Kiwanis park to pick out our tree, wreath and roping for our mantle,” she said. “After we bring it all home and set it up, my mom brings down tons of ornament boxes, both indoor and outdoor, and we deck the house from the inside out. On Christmas Eve, we go to my cousins house in Madison, CT and spend the evening with our whole family. We eat food, sing songs, play cards or just hang out and catch up.”
Lauren explained how she is rudely roused from sleep, without fail, every Christmas Day. “On Christmas morning, I always get woken up before dawn by my now five year old brother, Ryan, and even by my other 14-year-old brother, Austin,” she said. “Even though they are excited to open their presents and see what Santa has gotten them, we have to wait until our parents get up. Once they get up, we open presents, make a fire and put on some soft Christmas music.”
While Christmas seems to dominate the senses as soon as that last bite of turkey is finished, December isn’t just about Santa’s impending arrival. For junior Lynn Korsun, December means her family will be celebrating Hanukkah. “We usually spend the first night of Hanukkah with extended family, lighting the first candle on the menorah and exchanging presents with the younger cousins who get so excited about the little gifts, like a book, a movie or a toy,” she said.
Lynn’s family not only celebrates Hanukkah, but Christmas, as well. “We celebrate Christmas because my mom was actually raised Christian,” she said. “So even though we are actually Jewish on both sides of the family, we celebrate both holidays because of my mom’s upbringing.”
Although one may think that the holidays are the same for everyone, the uniqueness of each family’s traditions is what makes it such a special time. Whether it be Hanukkah or Christmas, singing and dancing, or just hanging out, the traditions and togetherness are what make this season so distinctive. “The holidays are my favorite time of year,” Lauren said. “I always cherish the time I get to spend with my family, following our old traditions and creating new ones for years to come.”
