This year, the Falcon Press staff decided to share their favorite holiday traditions with our readers. We hope you and your families enjoy the season and the upcoming break.
Millie DeBell, Editor-In-Chief: For as long as I can remember, after bringing a fresh Christmas tree, my mom and I would start to unwrap ornaments from storage boxes while watching the 1954 movie “White Christmas.” The musical numbers and elaborate settings make this movie perfect for decorating the tree with a cup of hot cocoa. I love being able to spend time with my mom as well as recollect memories from my childhood and hers. Once the tree is filled with ornaments and garland, the final number with the song “White Christmas” plays to conclude the night and mark the beginning of the Christmas season.
Avery Horan, Social Media Editor: My favorite holiday tradition began before I was even born. For as long as my memory stretches back, my dad’s side of my family has done a Yankee Swap on Christmas Eve. All of the kids in our family must wait until they turn 13 to participate in the game. This made it even more fun, as getting to do the Yankee Swap seemed like an exclusive way to get an extra present. Being the first grandchild, I was lucky enough to be the first of my cousins to participate. I love this tradition for many reasons, but the overarching one is my grandfather’s incessant need to wrap all the gifts he brings in random containers and then stuff those containers with newspaper. He finds this to be the funniest thing in the world, and I hope that never changes.
Layla Caramante, Staff Writer: My favorite holiday traditions are all of the annual family parties where we trade presents, play Yankee Swap, and always have a huge dinner. In my family, you will always know a Christmas party is going on; you can hear the loud chattering, smell the good food, hear Frank Sinatra playing, and hear all the laughter. Every Christmas Eve, my siblings and I get a new set of pajamas and decorate cookies. After we go to bed, my parents would set up all the presents and take bites out of the cookies for Santa and the celery and carrots for the reindeer. When I was a little kid, and even now, there is always so much Christmas magic every Holiday Season, and traditions are the foundation of this Christmas Magic.
Milo Chiapperini, Staff Writer: My favorite holiday tradition is making ravioli with my Italian grandparents. My immediate family and I used to travel to the house of my dad’s parents to spend an evening making homemade ravioli, from rolling out the homemade dough to boiling the fresh pasta. I can still remember my Nonno’s warm laughter as he snuck an extra serving of veal. After this tradition ended, it inspired me to continue cooking traditional Italian cuisine.
Xavier Eastin, Staff Writer: My personal favorite holiday tradition is cooking for everyone and seeing people’s reactions to good food. This has been with me ever since I was little, helping my mom knead dough for bread and making deviled eggs, all the way to making a beef wellington, seeing people’s reactions and hearing others credit me for the food I cook has always been the most heartwarming part of the holidays for me.
Helen Miller, Staff Writer: My favorite holiday tradition is the Bacchanalia table. During winter break, we always watch the same movies on the same days. We have a table, though, in the basement where disgustingly sugary goodies build up from October to December. When winter break starts, and we watch Christmas movies, we just gorge ourselves at the table until we’re so sick of ourselves that we can’t touch treats until February. There’s always the weird chocolate-covered raisins or a gingerbread platter left behind. On Christmas day, when we watch “A Christmas Story” and eat Chinese food, I absolutely can not take it anymore. While it really leaves a bad taste of acidity in my mouth, I really love the act of letting ourselves relax after a year. I’m grateful that I’m able to spend time with my family, and fighting over sweet tarts with my brother. (I usually win.)
Zoe Moon, Staff Writer: My favorite holiday tradition is pretty much all of Christmas Day. When we all wake up, we immediately do a book exchange. Every year, my mom, dad, and I all buy a book for each person based on a book list we were sent. It ensures we all have something to read when we go up to Vermont throughout the winter. In the afternoon, my family and I go for a hike, no matter how cold it is. We usually go to Haley Farm, but switch it up some years. Finally, for dinner on Christmas, we make pizza. It’s not a traditional Christmas food, but my family loves it. Each year, we make “Butterfly Pizza,” which is basically a pizza loosely shaped like a butterfly. Then, we split it up into two sections: sauce/cheese and pesto/vegetables. With the combination of green and red, the pizza is always festive, if not typical.
A’Lasia Moore, Staff Writer: My favorite holiday tradition is gathering together as a family to build gingerbread houses. Every year for Christmas, my family ensures that we will have a friendly competition building them bringing each other together for harmless fun( not done)
Mason Negron-Llanos, Staff Writer: My favorite holiday tradition is the Elf on the Shelf. Another tradition is when my family does Secret Santa. We each pick a name and get a gift for the person we pick. Another holiday tradition we have is every year is when we get our Christmas Tree from Geers Tree Farm in Griswold.
Alana Nobles, Staff Writer: My favorite holiday tradition that we do on my mom’s side of my family is the Saran Wrap Ball Game, where you frantically unwrap layers of plastic wrap from a large ball to get hidden gifts inside, and there would be one for younger kids, one for teens, and one for the adults. But my usual favorite is when we open Christmas gifts exactly at midnight, where the youngest to oldest open their gifts. I personally like when we spend Christmas Eve and Day together because I believe that it strengthens our bond more as we spend more time together, especially since they live in San Diego.
Mr. Pecka, Adviser: For years, my parents held Christmas Eve at their house, and despite not having an Italian bone in my body, my mother famously prepared lasagna and manicotti every year. This was because my older cousins often complained that their parents never cooked any Italian dishes (my mother’s side of the family is Greek). These days, Christmas Eve is a smaller affair, but no less enjoyable. My wife and I host our parents and siblings, which is something our girls always look forward to, and we spend the winter break catching up with friends and family on both sides. Another recent tradition we’ve added since starting our own family has been the North Pole Express in Essex. Our youngest just enjoyed her second time and was absolutely captivated with the experience. It can be exhausting, but I love that we are creating core memories for our kids.
