Whether it be spending time with family, or taking time to rest, Harrisites have various plans for winter break.
Many Harrisites spent the holidays celebrating with their friends and organizing gift exchanges such as Secret Santa and White Elephant, building memories and showing their appreciation for each other through hand-picked gifts. Junior Jaileen Nadal said, “[Secret Santa] with my friends makes me get into that festive spirit where I can celebrate a holiday with friends, especially because it isn’t very celebrated in my home.”
Decorations are also a significant part of Harrisites’ holiday celebrations, as they channel the holiday spirit. Freshman Ariella Isabel said, “I normally decorate my house with festive lights and do gift exchanges with my loved ones. I also [plan] to hang out with my friends during the holidays and do new things, like going ice skating.”
Other students appreciate the extra free time that the holidays bring, especially for those who are stressed out from school. Freshman Harrison Zhu said, “The main things I plan to [do for] the Winter Break are catching up on sleep, resting, and visiting family. It’s just nice to appreciate the time off [from school].”
Junior Marcelo Matias said, “Junior year is stressful for me, so having this long Winter Break was what I needed to rest up and spend more time with my family and friends. For school, waking up early [and] staying up until morning has been a routine for me, so being able to put that aside and rest for once, has been relaxing.”
Some Harrisites make different cultural foods with their loved ones to celebrate this time of the year. Junior Tenzing Gurung said, “I plan on having family come over to my house and we usually have Momo, a traditional Nepali-style dumpling. These [dumplings] are usually eaten during special occasions in my family since they [require] a long time and many people to make.”
Sophomore Jae Alston shares a similar experience saying, “I plan to make sweet potato pies and decorate the Christmas tree with my mom, something that we usually do during the holidays. It’s very fun to spend time with loved ones and devote the break to catching up with them.”
