by Sam O’Brient, Class of ’13
Even in a school as small as ours, the students here have different views of the December holiday season and what it means to them. The two main holidays of this time of year are Christmas and Hanukkah, and several students actually follow both. Being born into a Jewish or a Christian family does not necessarily mean you have to choose between the two holidays.
Sophomore Robin Graney muses, “We celebrate both Hannukah and Christmas, since that’s more fun,” when asked about her family’s holiday traditions. Freshman Solomon Joffe is also part of a mixed- religion family. “We celebrate Hanukkah by getting chocolate coins and stuff,” he stated. “But we also do Christmas things.”
Jewish freshmen Shai Lev adds: “We celebrate Hanukkah but not only that holiday. We also honor Christmas. Any holiday that we know about, actually, we’ll celebrate, but just not in a religious way.”
Freshmen Mac Litishin has a different twist on the season: “My religious views are Ancient Greek. I celebrate the winter solstice by honoring the divine in nature, while my family celebrates Christmas by gathering together.”
Whether you’re Christian, Jewish, both, or anything else, there really is one thing we can all agree on: There’s nothing like the holidays!