According to singer Mariah Carey, it’s officially time for the holiday season once she posts her video singing “It’s time!” on Nov. 1 every year. From Christmas to Hanukkah to Kwanza, the winter season holds a holiday for every student, regardless of background.
As soon as Halloween ends, students are excited to dive into the winter holiday season. “I think we should start celebrating on the first day of November because Halloween is over and that’s a big event in October,” freshman Mahita Dheenadhayalan said.
Due to the excitement surrounding winter holidays, other celebrations such as Thanksgiving often fade into the background. “Even though I still love Thanksgiving and seeing family, there’s not as much hype surrounding the holiday because there’s no music or decorations. The main thing that stands out to me about the holiday is turkey, and some people don’t even like that aspect of Thanksgiving,” Dheenadhayalan said.
In addition to the commotion surrounding winter holidays, students at this school enjoy the feeling they get this time of year. “I think we should start celebrating winter holidays like Christmas right after Halloween. Christmas is such a jolly time of the year, and the earlier you celebrate it, the longer you get to just feel happy and enjoy the Christmas spirit,” sophomore Emma Ikeda said.
For other students, holiday celebrations begin after Thanksgiving. “I personally start celebrating at the end of November. My family puts up a tree, adds ornaments, sets up a little candy cane countdown to Christmas and puts our plants in holiday-themed pots,” Ikeda said.
Dheenadhayalan also starts celebrating winter holidays, particularly Christmas, at around the same time as Ikeda. “My family starts celebrating when December starts. We put up lights, decorate our entrance with some Christmas decorations and put up the tree,” Dheenadhayalan said.
Tradition is an important aspect of the holiday season for students. “The Christmas tree always has to be put up by me and my older sister every year. Now that she’s in college, sometimes we don’t get to put up the tree until later in December, but I’d rather wait for her than do it on my own and break out tradition,” Dheenadhayalan said.
Students celebrate holidays religiously as well. “We start by gathering at church on Christmas Eve. Then we have a family reunion on Christmas Day and share gifts. It’s so nice getting to see all of my loved ones together,” freshman Sarah Gao said.
Even for students who don’t celebrate religiously, the holidays are still a time for joy and loved ones. “Even though I don’t celebrate Christmas religiously since I’m not Christian, I feel excited this time of year because I’m looking forward to the new year. I get to spend time with friends and family, get presents, and eat good food,” Dheenadhayalan said.
However, students may feel that the workload of school dampens their holiday spirit. “Usually I feel very excited and happy this time of year because I get to make fun foods, go on vacation during winter break, listen to holiday music, and do fun things with friends. However, right now, I just feel more stressed out because of school,” Ikeda said.
