A Kodiak Christmas
For most CHS students, the excitement in the anticipation of a pre-dawn wakeup on Christmas morning or being the one whose turn it is to light the menorah candle, is long gone. However, while that particular zeal may have faded, the anticipation remains for family gatherings, holiday traditions and, in some cases, travel. Family grounds us; traditions bind us; travel expands us.
We all have unique ways of celebrating this time of year. For some families, holiday traditions run deep, having been passed down through the generations. Other families are reinventing all the time. Still others may have few or none at all. Nonetheless, spending time together with loved ones is the real point of gatherings and traditions. Some will light the menorah as a family each night of Hanukkah. Some will decorate their Christmas tree together. Many will countdown the seconds on New Year’s Eve.
We asked CHS Kodiaks what their plans are for the two-week, holiday break that begins today. Here are just a few of the highlights:
Every year, my whole, extended family gathers at my uncle’s house in Cashmere on Christmas Day. We make ponche navideño, a traditional Christmas hot drink. It’s a fruit punch and ours is made with nance fruit, canella and sweetened with sugar. We serve it with homemade tamales and pozole, a brothy soup usually made with pork, hominy, and red chiles.
Monica Vazquez, class of 2024
We usually hang out with family and have the traditional turkey dinner, nothing unique in that regard. However, we do celebrate in some unique places. This year, we are traveling to the southern Baja California Peninsula in Mexico to stay on Cerritos Beach and surf.
Blue Knutson, class of 2024
Skiing is a big part of my family’s life and that’s no exception at Christmas. On Christmas Day, we almost always either go up to Stevens Pass or to Canada to ski. That said, we also always have an extended family gathering and celebration over the holidays. Because of our Swedish heritage, the gathering always includes lutefisk, a traditional, aged, dried, gelatinous, white fish.
Ava Northrup, class of 2022
For Christmas, we head to the West Side to be with extended family. While it’s a fairly (American) traditional Christmas, on Christmas Eve every year, we all make Chinese food together.
Jaxson Groby, class of 2025
We always celebrate Christmas at our house with extended family. We decorate our tree with some old family ornaments and make biscotti. The high point for me, however, comes right after Christmas, as we head up to the Methow Valley with family friends from Seattle, stay in backcountry huts, and cross-country ski for a few days. It’s always so beautiful and fun.
Ellie Holm, class of 2024
Our holiday season centers on the Advent calendar. Each day of Advent, we take part in a family activity, whether that be making and decorating cookies, watching a holiday movie or decorating a gingerbread house. Then, on Christmas morning, it’s the traditional stockings and presents followed by a big breakfast. It’s all about family.
Elsa Swart, class of 2024
Whether you celebrate many holiday traditions, few, or none at all, this is the perfect time to enjoy being with family and to appreciate those things for which we are grateful.
Does your family serve a favorite dish at the Hanukkah table? Do you celebrate Christmas or ring in the New Year in a unique way? Will you be on some sort of excursion? Let us know in the comments and we wish you the happiest of holidays!
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