With the holidays around the corner and Covid-19 cases on the rise, everybody is wondering how we are going to celebrate. Though it may not be the same as last year it is still the Christmas season, and many people are still embracing it. I sent out a survey to the students and staff at St. Ed’s asking what they are doing this holiday season and I got plenty of responses.

When I asked whether they enjoyed Christmas Eve or Christmas day better the majority said Christmas Eve coming in at 61%. 33% of people said that they preferred Christmas day better. I even had a few people say that they liked them both equally. Sophomore Grace Frazier even went on to say, “I like Christmas day the most because I get to see my family! For dinner, I go to my aunt’s house with my dad and brother (and my sister if she’s in town) and my aunt makes the BEST lasagna ever. I usually am not the biggest fan of lasagna, but when it comes to my aunt’s, I love it!”

“My favorite thing about the Christmas season is all the festivities that go along with it including the Gingerbread house decorating or the outdoor Christmas lights, and even just sitting on the couch waiting classic Christmas movies!” senior Madison O’Connell said when asking what her favorite thing about the holiday season. Some people said that they enjoyed the family feel, others giving gifts, some even said they love the weather. “My favorite thing about the Christmas season is the weather and bundling up in a blanket with hot cocoa watching a movie with my family,” is what freshman Natalia Resendiz said in the survey.

I then proceeded to ask whether they spend their holidays with family or at home. About 87% of people that I surveyed said that they spent the holidays with their whole family while the other 13% percent spends the holidays at home. “I usually celebrate it with my whole family, this year is going to be different though,” senior Daniela Esquibias answered. Some people even do both. “We celebrate with one family on Christmas Eve and the other on Christmas Day,” said Mr. Driscoll.

When asked about their personal Christmas traditions, many people replied that they usually have a Christmas party with friends and family. “Generally, we have a friends Christmas Party where we celebrate with our close family friends including ones we don’t see often. It’s always really nice to catch up with everybody at that party,” junior Lily Burger replied. Others explained how they exchanged gives on Christmas Eve or had a secret Santa. “On Christmas Eve-Eve (the 23rd) we open secret Santa gifts, then on the 24th we do presents from parents, and on the 25th we open ‘Santa’s’ gifts. We have regular Christmas food on the 24th and on the 25th we have Polish food,” freshman Madeline May said. A few families even have someone dress up as Santa. “When I was a kid, my grandfather dressed up as Santa and gave us our presents. Now I have nieces and nephews and my dad dresses up as Santa and gives them Christmas presents as well,” explained Mr. Briski.

With coronavirus still around, Christmas might be different this year.  Some people are planning on celebrating Christmas at home with their immediate family. “I don’t think I’ll hang out with my family this year. We don’t want to risk getting anyone sick or us getting the virus. I may do outdoor activities like looking at Christmas lights, but that might be it,” said sophomore Stephanie DeWitt. Meanwhile, others might plan on zooming with their families. “On Christmas Eve I go to my dad’s side, so due to Covid that won’t be happening this year, but even though I can’t see them in person, I will talk to them through Facetime or other ways of video chat,” is how freshman Morgan Lutzow plans on celebrating.

I finished off the survey by asking what the most popular cookies are. A lot of people said they enjoyed the peanut butter Hershey kiss, sugar, and chocolate chip cookies. “Peanut butter cookies with the Hershey’s Kiss in the middle are probably my favorite,” stated sophomore Cecilia Harkins. While others could not decide. “All of them are my favorite,” said Karol Kopciewski.

Everyone is excited for the holidays, no matter how different they are this year.  We must find a way to still enjoy it. “Christmas is just Christmas, it’s a day where families celebrate together. That should be all that really matters. Whether there are gifts or not we must remember the importance of family,” wrote sophomore Tanya Garcia.