At Lakeside, the holidays are honestly one of the best times of the year. We have two breaks, which are just three weeks apart. But everyone has their own way of celebrating, so I wanted to find out what the season really means to some of the people here.
I started by talking to Mrs. Tekle, who probably has more holiday spirit than anyone I know. She said, “I celebrate Christmas, so for me, it’s an important religious holiday. But it’s also when my family gets to spend time together. All my nieces and nephews come to town, so we do a lot of family events and dinners. It’s my favorite holiday in the whole wide world.” You can tell just from how she talks about it that it’s a huge deal in her family.
She also told me they start decorating super early, like the week before Thanksgiving. “We decorate the week before Thanksgiving so that on Thanksgiving Day, everything is ready for Christmas,” she said. “As soon as Thanksgiving’s over, the next morning, all the pumpkin stuff is swapped for Christmas decorations. My house is all lit up.” I thought that was pretty cool. Apparently, their Secret Santa is a serious business. “There are so many of us now, so we pull names on Thanksgiving. Then, on Christmas Day, the kids exchange gifts. It’s really special because they each get one really nice thing.”
I also talked to Jeron Figueroa (12). For him, the holidays are all about family and just feeling good. He said, “It means more family bonding, more emotions. It’s just a great time to be alive and experience things.” Every year, he looks forward to going back to Memphis, his hometown, and hanging out with his family and friends there.
Chaya Gibbs (12) had a super chill take. When I asked what the holidays meant to her, she just said, “Spending time with family.” That’s it. At her house, they cook, play games, and just hang out. She said she and her mom always bake cookies and cake together. Sometimes the simple stuff is the best.
After hearing from everyone, the holidays at Lakeside are really about being together, whether that means a house full of people, baking cookies, or taking a trip to see family. It doesn’t matter how you celebrate, what matters is making memories with the people you care about.
With a break coming up, I think most of us are just excited to relax, hang out with our families, and maybe start some new traditions of our own. Happy holidays, Lakeside!
