As the holidays draw near, many students and faculty in the Powell High School [PHS] community have adopted numerous festive traditions over the years to celebrate the upcoming holiday.
While some traditions such as drinking eggnog, baking Christmas cookies, and singing carols may seem commonplace to many, others have created loads of new and unique traditions to pack the season.
“Back in Minnesota, my Grandpa would take us sledding on a snowmobile,” junior Landon Smallwood said. “He’d strap a sled to the back of the snowmobile and drive us down a hill.”
Back in Minnesota, my Grandpa would take us sledding on a snowmobile. He’d strap a sled to the back of the snowmobile and drive us down a hill.
— junior Landon Smallwood
Strapping a sled to the rear of a snowmobile and rushing down a snowy hillside is not the only unique holiday tradition in the school however, with many students having more annual traditions they share around the Christmas tree.
“My favorite Christmas tradition is on every Christmas Eve night, my siblings and I get pajamas from our parents and watch the ‘Grinch’ together before we go to sleep,” sophomore Ryan Barrus said. “A special tradition with my family is on every Christmas Eve my family on my mom’s side goes to our grandparents house and eats prime rib and has a good time together.”
Many festive activities centered around the holidays include the watching of Christmas movies such as “How the Grinch Stole Christmas,” “Home Alone,” and for some “Iron-Man 3” just to name a few of people’s favorites.
“[My favorites are] either the ‘Grinch’ or ‘Home Alone’—the Jim Carrey ‘The Grinch,’” Smallwood said. “I just grew up with them. I see Kevin from ‘Home Alone’ as a superhero type person ‘cause he beats up the two bad guys.”
It’s not just the students of PHS that take part in festive activities like watching holiday movies though, with the staff of the school also having their favorites among the festive genre of films.
“I would have to say, ‘Christmas Story,’ right?” robotics teacher Mr. Joel Hayano said. “I remember watching it when I was little and then when I was in college. We would watch it at my frat house. Our whole fraternity would get to watch at one of the houses and it was pretty cool and we did that every year.”
I would have to say, ‘Christmas Story,’ right? I remember watching it when I was little and then when I was in college. We would watch it at my frat house. Our whole fraternity would get to watch at one of the houses and it was pretty cool and we did that every year.
— robotics teacher Mr. Joel Hayano
Traditions don’t stop at watching movies in front of a television set as the weather gets colder. Traditions can help bring a family together and can last a lifetime, even being passed on to the next generation of family and friends each winter season.
“[When I was a kid] you could open one gift on Christmas Eve. We kind of did that with Kik for a while but we don’t really do that much anymore,” Hayano said. “Our biggest tradition is that our families would always gather on Christmas.”
Traditions not only help in bonding the family, biological or not, but they also help in making the winter festivities that happen so often feel all the more special each year.
