Callum Rodin ’25
I celebrate Hanukkah with my immediate family, grandparents, and closest friends. We light the menorah, say prayers, and eat good food. At the beginning of Hanukkah, we go to our friends’ house, and we all make latkes together. We eat them while watching football, and it’s really fun. When the Temple was destroyed, the Maccabees only had one day’s worth of oil. The oil miraculously lasted for eight whole days, so now we celebrate the faith in God that allowed the oil to last. We light candles and eat fried donuts and latkes. We celebrate prosperity and longevity.
Katie Flynn ’25
Growing up Catholic, Christmas in my family has always been celebrated with Mass and a family gathering. While gift-giving is also part of our tradition, our main focus is on setting up the Nativity scene at the start of the holiday season and spending time with extended family. I have always loved setting up the Nativity scene and waiting until Christmas Day to place Baby Jesus in the scene.
Christmas celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ. It begins four weeks prior to December 25 with the season of Advent. During this period, a candle is lit at every weekly Mass leading up to Christmas Day, with the final candle being lit on Christmas Eve.
Jeffrey Lin ’25
Starting on December 23 or 24 of the lunisolar calendar of China, my family celebrates a prelude to the New Year. “Little New Year” is when we truly begin preparing for the festivities. We purchase food for special meals and other goods for the New Year and clean out the past year from our rooms and houses. Symbolically, you are preparing for something new.
The final day of the lunisolar year is either the 29th or 30th of Chinese December. Families gather around the table and share food. Delighting in these meals, we become fulfilled at the end of the year and ready to move into the next year.
Gabrielle Kosoy ’26
I celebrate Hanukkah. On each night of Hanukkah, my family lights the menorah. We call my grandma so we can light the menorah together. Her menorah has been passed down through generations of my family.
We also have a special dinner where we eat lots of home-cooked traditional Jewish foods, go to our synagogue, and share gifts together.
Cayden Kim ’26
To celebrate Christmas, my family and I make gingerbread houses and decorate the Christmas tree together. I love holding the gingerbread house pieces in place while my family members pipe the icing, and we wait for it to solidify. We also give presents to each other, which is one of my favorite traditions!
Maadhavan Prasanna ’25
I celebrate New Year’s. The symbolism of renewal is important to me. I also like to carry forward the celebration of Diwali, which takes place earlier in November. It is the celebration of light and of goodness defeating evil.
For my family, it’s about taking time to connect with one another. With the stresses of school and work, we often become separated from the relationships that are most important to us. But as the year comes to an end, we have time to relax and reconnect. My family always returns to India at the end of the year, and we have larger celebrations with our extended family.
