“Christmas is a time to celebrate and appreciate family and friends while commemorating the birth of Jesus,” sophomore Destiny Smith said. “It also means a long needed break from school.”

After four long months, Christmas break is here. To many, this is the most important time of the year, and with this holiday comes the gifts. Whether it was ten years ago or last year, everyone can remember a meaningful gift given or received in their life.  

“The most meaningful gift I have received from a family member was probably when my parents bought me a bunch of toy cars when I was little,” junior Noal Koslosky said. “I remember coming down the stairs and being in shock because my whole living room was covered in toy cars.”

Christmas, for many, is about family and loved ones, but some decide to spend this holiday with the family they choose. 

“The most meaningful gift I’ve given a friend wasn’t a gift but a note to remind her how much she meant to me,” freshman Hanna McGowen said. 

Whether Christmas is spent in the comfort of one’s home or vacationing during the holiday, there are many choices to make; an escape to snowy New York City or sunny Panama City or just a few towns over can be, for some, the best way to celebrate.

“I celebrated Christmas out of town by going to Fort Worth and seeing my step family and playing with my baby siblings, teaching them new things and exploring my old town,” senior Marshall Lundsberg said. “Christmas to me is about having a good time with your family and realizing that that is what’s most important.”

Though Christmas began as a religious holiday, there are many who are not religious that celebrate Christmas in their own way. With different views, though, Christmas is still about the people that are valued in their life. 

“I’m an atheist, as are my mom and dad, so Christmas is less about the religious aspect of things and more about the holiday,” junior Siena Vincent said. “I was definitely a believer in Santa as a kid, and the joy of the Christmas season and day were an integral part of my childhood. There’s something quite wonderful about an entire holiday about giving and loving one another.”

Christmas means different things to everyone, but for many, Christmas is about cheerfulness and coming together, in town or out of town and with family or with friends.  

“To me, Christmas is a time of excitement and good feelings,” senior McKaila Eckels said. “It means we made it through the year. The moments spent with family, eating, laughing, and giving gifts are often my favorite memories of each year.”