Holiday cheer kicked off after Thanksgiving came to an end. Students, staff, and their families came together to celebrate the holidays of the winter season. With winter break right around the corner, the aroma of tradition fills the air. Family get-togethers are coming up soon as everyone prepares to go home or travel for the holidays. 

Sweet Rolls And “It’s A Wonderful Life”:

Math teacher William Driggers spends the holidays surrounded by his family. 

Q: What holiday do you celebrate around this time of year?

A: [My family and I] celebrate Christmas around this time of year.

Q: Do you have any traditions that your family does together?

A: We always watch ‘It’s A Wonderful Life’ on Christmas morning, and my mom has a recipe for sweet rolls – they are frozen dough that have a syrup all over the top.

Driggers loves his mother’s baking, especially her sweet rolls. “Technically, I have the recipe but I, myself, have not made it…she does it best,” Driggers said.

Decorating And Baking:

Junior Haley Sutton spends the holidays with her family at home, baking and decorating together.

Q: What holiday do you celebrate?

A: I celebrate Christmas.

Q: What is your favorite holiday tradition?

A: My family and I like to make Italian cookies; [the recipe is] passed down through my family. My grandmother made them and her mom taught her how to make them. [These traditions] make me look forward to the holidays.

Pickle Ornament:

English teacher Jennifer Beasley also has a family tradition that makes Christmas a fun experience for her kids and family. 

Q: What’s one tradition that you do with your family?

A: [My grandparents] always hung a pickle ornament on the tree and whoever found the pickle got the money in it. It became a fun thing, like who found the pickle first on Christmas morning or who got to open their presents first.

Carrying on the tradition of the pickle ornament, Beasley hides one for her kids to find. “And now, my parents [make] sure we [have] a pickle to hang on my christmas tree [for my kids to find],” Beasley said.

Cooking Garlic Mac & Cheese:

Sophomore Nivi Mohan enjoys spending the holiday in the kitchen cooking her family’s favorite food.

Q: What holidays do you celebrate?

A: I’m not Christian, but [my family] still celebrates Christmas.

Q: What do you like to cook on Christmas?

A:  [My favorite thing to cook is] baked mac and cheese. I first saute garlic and then make a garlic oil and use it to make a rue with three different kinds of cheeses. We [also] love biryani in our household [and it has been passed down through generations of our family]. 

Q: What is your favorite tradition?

A: [My whole family doesn’t] have work or school, so we are all together and Christmas is the only time we play monopoly.