As the winter season approaches, Campo students were asked to reflect on their favorite holiday traditions. Old or new, traditions tend to shape students’ memories of past holiday seasons. While each student holds their own traditions, they all enjoy celebrating the holidays.

Junior Elizabeth VonderBrink recalled her traditions with extended family: “My grandma lives in a different state, so she always sends us gifts and on Christmas Eve we open them on FaceTime with her.” This tradition stood out to Vonderbrink because it allows her to celebrate with her out-of-state family members.

VonderBrink added her earliest memory from the celebratory season: “When I was younger, I got a makeup vanity for Christmas and it had a pink polka dot chair, a hair dryer, and other little things.” This present is a fond childhood memory for VonderBrink.

Senior Katherine Yokomizo said her favorite tradition was “gathering with family at [her] grandparents house, making pies and cookies to give out to friends and family, and having a big Christmas gathering.” Many students agreed that seeing their extended family was a large part of celebrating winter holidays.

Freshman Alana Bacher shared her long-standing customs with her family: “My grandma and I bake rolls and cookies together. The recipe I made with my grandma is really old and is passed down in our family.”

Bacher was not the only one with familial traditions, Yokomizo also has aspects of the holidays that have been passed down through generations: “We do have some Chinese traditions for Christmas like having foods such as Jian Dui and deep fried dough balls.”

In addition to past traditions, some students have adopted new customs as they got older. Junior Refi Briskman said, “Now that my brother and I are the oldest ones in the family, our little cousins come over and we are in charge of them during the holiday dinners.” Many Campo students observed how their traditions have evolved as the years go on.

These traditions bring about new holiday memories. Yokomizo reflected on her more recent traditions for the holiday season: “It’s a lot of fun…We do Hanukkah and Christmas as one because a lot of my newer relatives are Jewish.”

Freshman Amelia Becker’s family maintains annual traditions in the month of December. Becker said, “I go to the San Francisco Nutcracker every December with my family. On Christmas day, my extended family comes to open presents and have dinner at the house.”

Becker added, “Sometimes we do secret santa and I invite my friends over for gingerbread house decorating.”

Junior Refi Briskman shared her favorite aspects of the holidays: “I like Hanukkah because I like doing presents. I like that it is really festive and there are a lot of fun decorations.”

When asked why she enjoyed the holidays, Becker said, “Because you get to hangout with family and I like listening to Christmas music. Our family comes over for Christmas and we go to Tahoe or we ski in Canada sometimes.”

While some are enjoying family time, some are baking, some are traveling, and some are making memories with friends, Campo students each have their own traditions to make the holiday season unforgettable.