Christmas is when the warmth of traditions fills us with joy, carrying a deeper meaning, especially with younger generations.

“Celebrating Christmas is fun,” junior Manny Lachica said “But making closer connections with my family is, too.”

For many, it’s not just about the gifts or the decorations; it’s about the moments shared with loved ones.

“Christmas makes me feel really happy,” senior Alonzo Guillen said, “During this time I am surrounded by friends and family that I truly care about.”

Students believe that the most wonderful aspect of Christmas is the joy of cherishing every special moment with family and friends during the holidays.

“During Christmas time, my family and I love to come together and make food for the holidays,” Guillen said “One of our favorite traditions is preparing tamales together.” 

Lachica shared that his family celebrates several traditions that fill this time of year with joy. 

“Every Christmas Eve we all stay up all the way past twelve and then open the presents when the time reaches twelve.” Lachia said, “My grandma normally fills four stockings with money and we get to pick a stocking and see who gets the most money.”

Others like Allie Paine say that the best thing about Christmas is seeing out- of- town relatives he hardly sees anymore.

“I get to see my brother on the holidays,” Paine said. “Personally it’s the best because I get to see him. He lives all the way in Topeka and so sometimes I do not see him as much as I would like.”

When these students were younger the best feeling for them was the actual magic built up towards Christmas.

“When I was younger I was always excited,” Guillen said, “The suspense built up for Christmas was always a joyful feeling” 

And for these students, the belief in Santa Claus remained alive or faded away too soon.

“I believed in Santa,” Lachia said. “Until the fifth grade.” 

“Who said Santa’s not real?” Paine replied 

“In third grade,” Guillen said. “When I was nine years old I stopped believing in Santa.”

No matter how you celebrate Christmas, the spirit of Christmas traditions never dies.

“If I could be anything that’s Christmas related I would be Frosty the Snowman,” Paine said. “He’s really chill.” 

But even when they stopped believing in Santa the true meaning never faded away.

“On a deeper level Christmas makes me feel happy because I am surrounded by friends and family that I really care about,” Guillen said. “My family means a lot to me around the holidays.”