Different Winter Holiday Traditions
The Winter Holidays deserve to be spent with family and friends, and make sure to follow those long standing traditions no matter how over the top they are.
January 9, 2023
Like many, the students of Yorba Linda High School look forward to the winter holidays. During the few weeks off from school, the students can be seen spending time with family, shopping, going ice skating, going to the movies, and much more holiday festivities. But what kind of family traditions do they partake in? From different cultures to religions and holidays, here are a few ways that the students celebrate their winter holidays.
Family and being together is a large aspect of the community at Yorba Linda High School. The main foundation of our school rests on being a family and acting as a whole. As many families finally get to reunite during the winter holidays, long-standing traditions take place. “Every year my family goes to my Aunt’s house to celebrate Hanukkah. The best tradition we have is when my cousins and I play the dreidel game together and we get to eat the latkes my dad makes every year,” shares Aidan Mintzer (11). Long-standing traditions like this, where family is at the center, are cherished and held dearly. With these traditions, the family is able to bond and remain close to one another. “Also, on Christmas Eve, my family and I drive around and look at Christmas lights, and on Christmas day, I wake up and we eat cinnamon rolls before we open presents together,” adds Aidan Mintzer (11). Every year my family goes to my Aunt’s house to celebrate Hanukkah. The best tradition we have is when my cousins and I play the dreidel game together and we get to eat the latkes my dad makes every year. — Aidan Mintzer (11).
Another student, John Rice (12) remembers what he and his family would do before he moves from the East Coast to the West, “Before I moved to the West Coast, I would always go to church with my grandparents on Christmas Eve; also, Santa would drive around town and wave to people. Since we would always get home later than the rest of the family, we were always able to walk into everyone already there and it was nice. Everyone would eat together and open a few small presents too, and then after we would sit around and talk for hours. And since my birthday is a week and a day or so later than Christmas, I would always get a cake and celebrate with everyone. Afterward, we would sit around and listen to Christmas music. Then, at around 8:30 everyone would start to leave, and just before bed, we would always read ‘The Night Before Christmas’.”
Other families prefer to travel for the holidays, but they still manage to practice a few of their traditions. “We usually travel during the holidays but when we’re home, we have a family dinner to celebrate on Christmas Eve. At dinner, we traditionally play secret Santa among my cousins where we all gather in the living room and open gifts from our Secret Santa,” says Ashley Tsai (11). On the contrary, some students and their families stay home and enjoy the time off by relaxing with one another. “During the winter holidays, my family and I usually stay home to celebrate. Every year on Christmas Eve, my family hosts a large dinner party and we play games like white elephant. My relatives usually spend the night so on Christmas morning we all eat a homemade breakfast which usually consists of pancakes, bagels, and hot chocolate,” says Madison Vo (11).
So whether your family stays at home for the holidays or chooses to travel, make sure to take a minute and appreciate the bond and traditions you have. The holidays are a time for fun, bonding, and spreading joy. Make the most out of them and enjoy every single minute.
