‘Tis the season! Here at Winter Springs High School, there are many different ethnicities and backgrounds. Whether it’s baking cookies or hanging stockings, every student and faculty member celebrates the holiday in diverse ways.

Rocky Ciero, the wrestling coach, celebrates Christmas by flying to Ohio to visit his family. This year he is leaving on Christmas Eve and coming back December 26^th. Every Christmas day he spends the day at his grandparent’s house where his whole family gathers, opens presents and spends time together, usually at hockey games. His holiday traditions include his family eating pasta on every holiday. Especially on Christmas, since his family is Italian, he and his family eat spaghetti. This year, his family wanted to try something different and instead of buying everyone gifts, they will do “white elephant.” White elephant is a gift exchange where everyone who contributes a gift, receives one randomly and then can choose to exchange a gift with someone who has already opened theirs.

John Hardy, 12^th grade, has two separate Christmases He brings gifts for his friends and some family at one Christmas celebration and has a gathering of his close family like sisters, brothers and parents at another. His family sets up a tree a week before Christmas, but John does not decorate it.

Another student, Rachel Rodriguez, 11^th grade, keeps Christmas traditions simple but goes all out on the decorations. Her family bakes cookies and fills each other’s stockings to the rim. Most of her family lives elsewhere, so she celebrates Christmas with her close relatives that live in Florida.

However, Isaiah Patilla celebrates the holiday a bit differently; he and his family open their gifts at home before leaving on Christmas day to Pennsylvania to see the family on his father’s side. He stays with his uncle and his cousins while visiting for a week. While in New York, Isaiah’s family likes to go to Times Square, New York the day after New Year’s where he and his family walk around and go window shopping. When returning from their trip to Pennsylvania and New York, the rest of his family gathers at his house to finish celebrating. Everyone exchanges gifts and eats comfort foods such as macaroni and cheese and sandwiches. His Spanish family makes plenty of rice and beans and stocks up on coquito, the drinking of which is one of Isaiah’s family’s many unique holiday traditions, to fill the whole family.

As shown within the Winter Springs High School student body, everyone celebrates Christmas differently; however, spending time with loved ones is one tradition which proves to be universal!