 "Photo: Todd Sumlin—Charlotte Observer | MCT")
The long-awaited holiday season is almost here, and it’s time to start preparing! With the diversity of students here at Washington University comes a variety of holidays and ways to celebrate them. Each winter, students look forward not only to the gifts and goodies but also to the unique activities and traditions that they practice. Some are standard, like an annual Thanksgiving football game, but others are truly unique traditions. Borrow them, test them out or use them as inspiration to start your own tradition this year!
Wintery cruisin’
Mackenzie Olson, a sophomore and member of the track team at the University, starts out her Christmas Eve with a day cruise in the family car. The cruise became an annual tradition for the family since her father bought her mother the car as a present one year. After the day cruise, the Olsons head over to a movie theater and watch the newest, longest movie released at the time. This is to prevent a day “wasted on cleaning.” By the time the Olsons get home, it is time for Christmas dinner. After dinner and dessert, they go in the backyard and make snowmen that resemble each member of the family—just like the Simpsons. The Olsons end Christmas Eve with a night cruise to take in the wonderful Christmas lights.
Rob your neighbor!
Do not take this literally! Sophomore basketball player Hannah Cusworth plays the game “Rob Your Neighbor” every Christmas day with her whole family. “Rob Your Neighbor” is a game where all the players sit in a circle, and there is a pile of small wrapped presents in the middle. These presents range from gag gifts to some really nice expensive gifts. Each player rolls a pair of dice, and if a double is rolled, the player gets to pick a prize from the middle. Once all the prizes are taken, a timer is set for five to 10 minutes, and during that time, the dice are rolled again. But here’s the catch: The second time around, if someone rolls doubles, that person can steal any of the presents from any of the other players. At the end of this allotted time, everyone opens their presents for pleasant surprises! Variations on this game include the “White Elephant.” Whatever you call it, “Rob Your Neighbor” sure puts a new twist on grab bags!
A brand new year
Senior Trinity Fry’s favorite holiday occurs on the last night of the year. She spends New Year’s Eve with her family in front of the fireplace in her living room. She and her family write down their new resolutions and hopes for the new year on pieces of paper. Then, the Frys take their old papers from the previous year, stored safely in a jar on the mantle, and throw them into the fireplace. The New Year’s resolutions are then are placed into the jar, which is reset on the mantle to remind them of their goals throughout the next year.
Hanukkah lights
Sometimes, your favorite times can be those traditional moments spent with family. Hanukkah is sophomore JJ Gotlieb’s favorite holiday. Every winter, he goes home to spend quality time with his family. Since Hanukkah lasts for eight days, JJ receives presents of three different sizes depending on the day—small, medium and large. On the last day of Hanukkah, his grandmother always uses her special recipe and makes delicious latkes. Then, his family eats a final meal together and lights the final candle on the menorah. This night is Gotlieb’s favorite—it is the night he receives the biggest present.
Whether your favorite holiday is Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa or New Year’s, there is always a fun tradition just waiting to be made. The winter break is fast approaching, and when the time comes, you will be able to forget about school and enjoy the long relaxing days. Until then, keep up your hard work and, in advance, happy holidays!
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