Getting Back Into to the Holidays

Getting+Back+Into+to+the+Holidays

As the colder months of November and December begin to set in, many student’s and teacher’s minds wander to the delight of holiday festivities that many enjoy. 

Holidays bring back the elaborately decorated Christmas lights seen in neighborhoods, along with the smell of pine that tend to fill houses.   

Many people love this time of the year, one reason being that students and staff are able to see the people they love. These people bring a sense of happiness and connection, which is always something to look forward to. Last year many people didn’t get to enjoy the pleasure of waking up with family on Christmas day or the company of loved ones on Thanksgiving due to the COVID-19 restrictions. 

These restrictions seemed to dampen the normal events during these months. Instead of celebrating last year we made do with what we had, and that was especially hard for some people.  

Spanish teacher Marla Boyd expressed her disappointment last year as the restrictions affected her family. 

“Last year we didn’t celebrate Christmas in the traditional way because unfortunately my brother had a stroke a couple weeks before Christmas. We were in the hospital with him, COVID affected that because only two people were allowed to go see him,” Boyd said.

The smell of hot chocolate and elaborately decorated Christmas cookies are one of the many memories that are cherished and missed. This year being able to finally go back to our version of Holiday traditions shows how joyful the season really should be.  

History teacher Mychal Limric expressed his love for the holidays. He says that the main reason they are so enjoyable is because during that time he can have his family all in one place.

“I like that everybody, in theory, kind of pauses and spends time together, like family and friends getting to see people, getting to see my extended family,” Limric said.  “This year is the first year my son has not lived at home because he’s in college and so getting him home for the holidays and having both my daughter, my son, my wife and me all in one place.”

Limric adds that even though things are getting slightly more normal, he tends to lean more towards the safe side when it comes to gatherings. 

“We had to be extra careful about everybody being around each other. The extended family holiday stuff has been smaller,” Limric said.

 Even if gatherings are limited or smaller, it doesn’t mean familiar traditions have to stop completely. Some families these days choose to have smaller celebrations, as they don’t feel comfortable due to the pandemic. But one thing students and staff still have is different stories or perspectives linked to the colder months. 

“My wife makes a dish called lumpia and it’s kind of a two or three day thing. We have to make it then you have to roll the lumpia and wrap them all and everything,” Limric said.

This shows that sometimes simple things are what brings a family together. Limric expresses that he continues to find joy in the food his wife makes, while getting a warm feeling from all the festivities. He also remembers the excitement many of us feel on Christmas morning.  

“One of my favorite memories as a child was getting a new bike, I remember that my parents had hide it in like a storage thing at our home and I had discovered it like a couple of weeks before the holidays and then I was so excited on Christmas morning and then actually see it and get to go ride it was pretty cool,” Limric said.

 With various schedules and events in families, it can be hard during the year for things to line up. 

 “We can all get really busy sometimes and so having time like that to spend together, it’s really a great thing,” junior Kebron Hagos said.

  Some have other priorities while not being able to put the time they need into family, which can get disappointing after a while. But as celebrations are able to happen this year that displeasure can be replaced with the holiday spirit displayed everywhere in Puyallup.  

  According to student Kebron Hagos, playful memories also put him in a positive mood, focusing more on humorous events. Those moments come with an unfiltered genuine feeling that fills the room along with the excitement. It’s refreshing to have those funny moments once and a while, tending to be one of many highlights in students’ lives. 

“One time, there was like a lot of presents under the tree and we weren’t supposed to open them before Christmas, but I got impatient and I took a little peek at one of them. My parents went on an interrogation spree trying to figure out who did it,” Hagos said. “When I look back, it’s really funny.” 

Boyd has similar thoughts on specific memories that intertwine with the coming months. The most vivid ones are especially when people are children and then those traditions are passed on. 

“Being a kid, I always really liked decorating the Christmas tree with my mom… we would remember stories of different people in our family that maybe gifted us ornaments,” Boyd said.

Senior Luca Bell shares a holiday tradition with her friends where they exchange presents before Winter Break. 

“I like trying to find my friends the best gifts I can. This is important to me because it’s a way to show my appreciation for them,” Bell said. “This tradition has been going on since about junior high school. COVID-19 kept me from giving the gifts to my friends at school, so I had to drop them off at their houses.”