As a kid, holidays are a time of joy and gratitude, but as you get older, the responsibilities change. Holidays allow people to spend time with family and friends as well as caring for them.
Faculty member Sara Asher reminisces about what she liked as a child during the holidays: “The magic. Christmas had a lot of magic to it; even when I knew what was going on, it was still magic. And Halloween, Halloween is obviously all about mystical, magical stuff. So yeah, I would totally fall for the magic.”
Eighth grader Sawyer Tanking’s Christmas memories as a child stand out to her: “I really enjoyed the idea of Santa Claus when I was younger. And I didn’t really focus on the meaning of the holiday. I just focused on having fun,” she says.
When asked about his favorite holiday, sixth grader Clayton Konie says, “I would say Christmas because you get lots of gifts, and it’s all about giving and receiving.”
When remembering the holidays as a kid, sophomore Solomon Holman-Hebert says, “During Halloween, I used to go to my aunt’s house, and we used to go through a haunted maze that was really fun.”
When asked how they feel about holidays as they’ve gotten older, many agree that the meaning and appreciation has changed. Asher says, “Well, now, instead of just feeling the magic at Christmas time, now I have to think, okay, do I have this and this and this done, and they come up so quickly that sometimes it’s hard to get this and this and this done. So there’s more responsibility around the holidays … but most especially, Christmas.”
Similarly, senior Katherine Eudaly says, “I think it’s gone more from ‘it’s about me’ or ‘I’m getting things’ to ‘I kind of have to contribute’ and ‘I’m on the same level as everybody else here now,’ so it’s more of an exchange sort of thing.”
Tanking focuses on the appreciation of the holiday: “I’ve definitely understood holidays a lot more, like why they’re holidays and how they originated.”
Holidays also bring families together. Konie shares what he enjoys about the holidays now: “Probably the family, getting together and everything.”
Likewise, when asked the same question, Holman-Hebert says, “Being with my family and celebrating and having some time off.”
Furthermore, Eudaly says, “I think it’s a good time to reconnect with my family, because we don’t really get together that often anymore, so I just think it’s a good way, [an] excuse for us to get together when we otherwise wouldn’t.”
When asked if personal traditions influence your opinions on holidays, Asher says, “I think so. I like Halloween so much because I had good Halloween experiences when I was little, so I carry those along with me, and the same goes for Christmas. I have really positive childhood memories of Christmas.”
