Christmas Traditions at DHS
How do DHS Students Celebrate their Christmas Break?
By Kat McKay - 09/12
NEIRAD enilno edition
It’s that time of year again: candy canes and jingle bells and snow angels and Christmas. Darien High School students look forward to the holiday for weeks and weeks, anticipating decorating a tree and stringing outdoor lights and other special traditions. A part of what makes Christmas so extraordinary are those traditions, the things that make your family’s experience unique and exciting. Traditions may be similar for most of us at DHS, but there are some students who celebrate in completely different ways.
Freshman Ali Aparicio celebrates St. Nicholas’ Day in early December. It’s “a Dutch holiday when you put your shoes by the fire, and St. Nick comes and puts little presents in them,” she explains. She and her sister get small gifts such as “maybe candy, lip-gloss and a DVD.” Ali still enjoys Christmas but she says that St. Nicholas’ Day “gives me something to look forward to in early/mid December.” One of the most exciting parts? “It gets me excited about the holiday season!” Ali says. Celebrating St. Nicholas’ Day is a huge part of what makes the season so great for Ali and other Dutch people all around the world.
Celebrations happen in all corners of the planet, and Angelica Cortez, a freshman, turns to her Puerto Rican roots during the holiday season. “My family and I have a feast on the night of Christmas and we light candles all around the house. The best part about my traditions are having my ENTIRE family around, even if it is only once a year,” Angelica says. Her family, all Puerto Rican, also “celebrates El dia de Reyes or Three Kings Day,” honoring a special holiday from the Island. “We do the whole traditional Puerto Rican Catholic thing,” Angelica says. “The season isn’t about what I get as presents as my parent never taught me to expect gifts for Christmas. They taught me that it is about being able to live and share a very special holiday with those I care most about.” Angelica’s experiences from the holidays will stay with her forever.
“My family focuses on quality time together and religion when it comes to Christmas traditions,” explains freshman Liz Nelson. She and her family attend Noroton Presbyterian Church and focus on the religious aspects of the holiday. “On Christmas morning, we open our stockings and presents together in our living room. The gifts aren't the focus though; it's the reminiscing about our childhoods and past holidays. After all, this is one of the only times of the year that both my siblings are at home at the same time,” Liz says. Dinner is another important part of the day. “In the evening, we have a dinner feast with our very close friends. One of the memorable parts of the meal is the birthday cake for Jesus Christ. We actually sing "Happy Birthday" to him and make special prayers for our Savior,” she explains. After that, Liz and her family “attend our church's Christmas service and usually stay for the choir's holiday performance. That is always a very important part of celebrating Christmas for my family.” For the Nelsons, Christmas is a chance to look back at the past and look ahead to the future while worshipping Jesus.
On a completely different note, freshman Anjali Krishnamachar (pictured above) says that “my family doesn't really religiously celebrate Christmas.” The break is more of a vacation than a holiday for her traditional Indian family. “It is one of the few times of year that my entire family is free at once (my sister's boarding school has conflicting holidays with ours), and we usually use the break to go somewhere exotic or exciting. Last year, we visited Kerala, India - a beautiful part of the country - and it was great to just hang out with my entire family finally together,” Anjali remembers. Although the Krishnamachar’s aren’t Christian, they still exchange gifts and focus on being together. “One of our ‘Christmas’ traditions is that we always open our presents after we return from the vacation. This is usually entertaining, as we are always jet-lagged and groggy as we sit around the tree, sleepily opening presents after some long plane flight.”
No matter what aspect of the holiday makes it special, Christmas seems to be important to everyone who celebrates it. While some of us remain close to home, others travel the world. Whatever your family does for the holidays, enjoy it. The unique traditions people at DHS celebrate are a part of what makes Christmas so great for each and every one of us.
