Everyone loves celebrating something, whether it be an event, a promotion, or just a day! How about the holidays? Such as Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, and many more!

“My favorite holiday is probably one most people don’t know, and it’s called sukkot, it’s a Jewish holiday, it’s not Hanukkah, but sukkot takes place typically in the fall, we get to build these huts in our backyards and we have dinner in them, have parties outside, we invite guests and we do different things in them for eight days, and we really enjoy it,” Debra Yarow, English Teacher, said.

People have their own traditions such as seeing Christmas lights or going Christmas caroling. 

“My family and I make brisket, I make it at Hanukkah, it’s one of our traditions, and I also make it for Passover and Rosh Hashanah, that’s one of our favorites and everyone loves my husband’s latkes, which are potato pancakes, he fries them for Hanukkah which is also a favorite,” Yarow said.

During the holidays, such as Christmas, people enjoy going to be able to look at Christmas decorations, while having fun with the family.

“When I was little we went to this decorated old Christmas town and did Christmas photos, and they would serve us food, hot chocolate, and it was a lot of fun,” Anna Pratt, 12, said.

There is always a story to tell behind your favorite holiday traditions.

“My mom always likes to put Christmas lights up right after Halloween because she says that she works too hard on them for them to only be up for a month,” Kaitlyn Thorpe, 11, said.

Every year there is so much to be thankful for, it could be your job, family, or friends.

“This year I am most thankful for my family because it’s my last Christmas here for a while before I go off to college, so I want to spend as much time with them as I can,” Pratt said.

People love to hold on to something that they have received as a birthday gift or just a gift from the holidays. 

“Something that I have received that is really special to me is a bible with my name embossed on it,” Thorpe said.

As time goes by, people learn to celebrate more than one holiday, such as Christmas and Hanukkah during the holiday season, and teach their families about it.

“Getting to spend time with my dad and lighting the candles every year and having my kids be a part of that every year; I was a part of it growing up and my kids are a part of it now,” Sarah Wright, Exceptional Learning teacher, said. “Also, as a kid, I got to celebrate Hanukkah and Christmas back to back, I got the full gifts for both, kind of thing.”