Everyone has their own Christmas traditions. You always hear about what your friends did for Christmas, where they went, or what presents they got. However, you don’t usually hear much from your teachers.

When he was younger, Mr. Engel used to be the “bah humbug” type when it came to Christmas. However, he finds the holiday more exciting with a family of his own. During the holiday season, Mr. Engel and a group of friends from Prep go on a vacation. This year they are planning on going skiing in Big White, Canada. He describes it has a cool and fun to be hanging out with friends and family and watching his and his friends’ kids play together. For Christmas, he spends the day locally with his family. Every Christmas morning, his wife makes him his favorite egg casserole dish she learned from her aunt. His wife’s birthday also falls on Christmas Day, so it’s extra special and the house usually has a lot of decorations.

After a 12 hour+ flight across the Atlantic Ocean, Señora Navarro celebrates Christmas with her family in Spain. In Spain, Christmas is more of a celebration and being with loved ones, so family is something of importance. Being a Catholic country, Christmas Eve is a big day and Señora gets invited to the family’s house to eat. Roasted lamb is a popular food there along with seafood and cookies. Some people go to the 12 o’clock mass. Christmas day is about spending time with family but in Spain, Christmas Eve is more meaningful. The kids get their presents on January 6^th, which is the Epiphany or more commonly known as Three Kings Day. There are some who get presents from Santa on Christmas Day too. One thing that Señora really likes about spending the holidays in Spain is that it is very festive there and you can walk around and see beautiful nativity scenes. Spain also isn’t as present oriented as the U.S, but instead is more about connecting and being with family.

Everyone celebrates the Christmas season differently. Whether they eat certain foods, have certain Christmas traditions, or go on vacation, everyone celebrates the holidays with family.