When asked about how she celebrates the holidays, senior Alanis F. said, “I spend time with my family and usually go to my cousin’s house. I think nowadays, it’s important to spend time with family.”

Senior Maria K. said, “Every Christmas we sit around the TV and watch different Christmas movies. I think last year we watched ‘How the Grinch Stole Christmas.’ Such a classic.”

Environmental teacher Timothy Strout stated, “For Christmas, we usually have a huge dinner with lots of hors d’oeuvres, which we usually fill up on before dinner. Then we’ll have lasagna, a salad and bread. Then we’ll have a ham with holiday potatoes, which is like a mashed potato with all kinds of good stuff in it. Then another salad and then dessert.”

When asked about her plans for the New Year, senior Emily K. explained, “My New Year’s resolution is to start eating healthier because I haven’t been eating so well right now. I know it’s not good for my body, so I have to make a life change.”

Librarian Denise Ryder said, “When I was younger, I was so crazy about opening presents, so my grandmother would call my mother and say, ‘She’s out of her mind.’ They made up a tradition: you get to open one present on Christmas Eve. I thought this was an actual thing, so I did the same with my daughter. Then I asked my mother where that tradition came from, and she told me it was really because I was unmanageable.”

Junior Sammy L. (right) said, “We don’t celebrate Christmas so we usually get Chinese food. It’s beautiful.”