By Grace Barker, Quill Writer
With the holiday season wrapping up, River Hill has celebrated the holidays with happiness, connection and traditions of their own. From hosting Christmas Eve dinner with lasagna to lighting Hanukkah candles, River Hill sure loves to celebrate the holidays, but what makes the holidays so special to our community?
The holiday season can be particularly memorable in different ways for River Hill. For freshman Dhriti Patel, the holidays are special because of the “joy, happiness and the gifts.” To dive deeper into what Patel stated, the holidays serve as an “opportunity to take a pause from life’s stressors, be with loved ones, and experience the gift of gratitude can enhance one’s state of well-being,” as Kayla-Hope Bruno of Andrews University explained. In a different direction, junior West Perry stated that he and his family “see [the holidays] as a great way to connect and be thankful for one another and express our affections to friends and family.” He believes that the holidays are a special time as they are “less about receiving and more about giving.”
Similarly to Patel and Perry, sophomore Emma Kanter believes the holidays are a special time to “connect with family, religion, and have really good food.” However, Kanter had a different take on the holiday season as a “great celebration of the festival of lights” and remember the history of where Hanukkah comes from.
During the holiday season, there are many traditions that River Hill does that makes it special. “Traditions are rituals that strengthen bonds among loved one,” states Reggie Thomas of Chino Valley Champion, “They act as anchors that connect families by offering each member opportunities to pause to celebrate shared values and memories.” Due to the fact that Kanter celebrates Hunakah, on Christmas day, her family “always [has] Chinese food on Christmas day and [they] watch Star Wars.” Patel’s favorite tradition during the holidays is when her family “hosts Christmas dinner and Christmas Eve dinner. [They] make enchiladas and lasagnas.”
Cultural heritage is so important during the holidays. As Laura Roese, a writer for Christian Living Communities, stated, “[h]olidays and their associated traditions create essential touchstones of cultural identity. These days are not just about religious observance but also about connecting with one’s roots and heritage.” For Perry, his family ties in his fathers German heritage by “[adopting] many traditions centering around Germanic celebrations of Christmas. [They] like to brew Feuerzangenbowle (a spiced wine) and collect nutcrackers that hold incense with a smoky smell [he] associate with the holidays.”
As the New Year comes in, River Hill has many hopes and wishes for the year. The holiday season has shown to be special to River Hill and hopefully the New Year will be too. As Perry said, “hopefully we’ll be able to witness peace and prosperity.”