Finals week is one of the last weeks of the first semester, and the end of finals week marks the start of a long winter break from late December to early January. This is an excellent time for students to celebrate their accomplishments, the end of the semester and the start of a new year. At University High School, students fill their schedules with holiday activities such as gingerbread decorating, creative crafts and traveling.
Sophomore Yuelin Cheng finds winter break to be the perfect time to bake sweet treats and holiday dinner recipes with her family. They make delectable meals and treats while cooking dinner and exploring new recipes. One of Cheng’s favorite desserts is a homemade pumpkin pie she bakes with her sister, but baking isn’t the only activity she has planned.
“When I think of holidays, the first thing I think of is break and no school,” Cheng said. “And I also associate holidays with spending time with my family.”
Sometimes, it’s the peace and quiet that students appreciate the most about winter break. When she isn’t traveling, Cheng enjoys staying home to explore her creative side by writing stories and songs or by drawing.
“I like the vibes of colder and especially rainy days,” Cheng said. “I really enjoy staying home and creating something.”
Holidays such as Christmas and Hanukkah are also important parts of winter break. To celebrate the season, junior Janaki Vivek and her family host friendly competitions, including decorating gingerbread houses and mugs, and baking cakes and desserts.
“I started [the tradition] a couple of years ago because I wanted to do more for Christmas,” Vivek said. “We [only] open presents at the beginning of the day and watch a movie at night, so I wanted to do more.”
Since winter break is two weeks long, students also have time to travel. Cheng’s family has traveled to China, Japan and Hawaii in previous years. During winter break, Vivek travels to Washington and gets to see her family. She and her friends have snowball fights, build snowmen and go sledding by building hills with the snow.
“I have memories in the snow, playing in the snow with my friends,” Vivek said. “[That is] definitely one of my best memories in Washington.”
Junior Mercedes Acree enjoys traveling to Big Bear to ski and snowtube with her family. This tradition began for her in middle school, and since then, they have gone every two years. Other traditions her family has are watching every “Home Alone” movie and decorating gingerbread houses.
“It’s meaningful because I do it every year, and it’s a family tradition I look forward to,” Acree said. “I like that I can get closer to my family [be]cause school kind of takes up a lot of time.”
Just like other UHS students, senior Kayla Ng takes advantage of her free time to spend time with her family and to do holiday shopping. They wish their neighbors a happy holiday season with small gifts like peanut butter brittle, cookies, handmade crafts and sometimes See’s Candy.
“I’ll help my mom make peanut butter brittle and cookies,” Ng said. “The [neighbors we’re] closer to, we make handmade gifts for.”
Often, UHS students spend their breaks hanging out with friends and reuniting with family, enjoying traditions and activities that bring back memories of childhood adventures. Holiday traditions are personal to each student at UHS, with each tradition having its own unique origin, but they all have a special place in students’ winter breaks.
