It’s cold! All across the nation of America, people come together with families during the winter time to celebrate different holidays. Since break for most of the country is in the winter, they have the opportunity to visit family and friends.

Some celebrate the birth of Jesus following Christmas. Some celebrate Christmas simply as a national holiday. Many groups relish in the festivities that come with Hanukkah.

As a Catholic, my family and I celebrate Christmas. We attend Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve at our local church. As a part of my Filipino culture, we celebrate Nochebuena, where we have dinner after church (3 a.m. or so) and open a few presents early. Then later in normal hours of Christmas day, we get together with more family to open presents and have loads of festive fun.

Although Christmas is originally a Christian tradition, everyone around the world can celebrate it just for the enjoyment of gift-giving and decorating, as well as making gingerbread houses and kissing your love under the mistletoe.

“I’m Muslim so I don’t celebrate Christmas as a religious holiday, but I’ll celebrate Christmas for the fun festivities I can do with friends in a secular way,” senior Beyza Donmezer shared.

The second most popular Holiday tradition is Hanukkah, which lasts for eight days: December 7 through December 15. This holiday is often celebrated by those of Jewish descent or religion, but many others come together to celebrate it as well.

“I love celebrating Hanukkah, especially when my family and I sing as we light the menorah,” senior Rachel Durkin, who is Jewish, states.

Other holidays that are celebrated are Kwanza, Diwali, and the Winter Solstice, all centering around sometime in December.

It’s so fascinating to learn about holiday traditions during the winter, and how people mostly come together with their loved ones to delve into festive fun!