Throughout the holiday season, students showcase diversity in celebration and tradition. From leaving apple cider out for Santa Claus to eating grapes on New Year’s Eve, celebrations vary from student to student.

All around the world, people celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah and Kwanza. Foreign exchange student Jaime Malo de Molina, ‘26, will experience his first Christmas away from his home in Spain.

“We have two celebrations, one on the 24th and one on the 31st,” Malo de Molina said. “The 24th is a good night, we celebrate Christ.“

Contrary to America, Spain’s holiday season goes from Dec. 24 to Jan. 6. In addition to this, Malo de Molina participates in Spanish traditions to celebrate the new year.

“On the 31st my family will go to a house and talk about our plans,” Malo de Molina said. “We eat grapes at midnight and then we celebrate on the street.”

Traditions are not just characterized by nationality but also by family. William Cuningham, ‘26, practices multiple familial traditions.

 “We put out apple cider instead of milk because we think Santa Claus would prefer that over the milk,” Cunningham said. “And the day after Christmas we go to a trampoline park, me and my parents.”

Although Christmas is the most popular and commercial holiday in the United States, many students participate in non-Christian celebrations. Mabintou Sillah, ‘25, celebrates the Islamic holiday, Eid.

“We go to the mosque and do Eid prayer, then we go home and cook,”  Sillah said. “Uncles and family members usually give money to the kids.”

A percentage of the WHHS student body celebrates Hannakuh, a Jewish holiday. Neil Shanbhag, ‘26 is a Hindu student who has experienced Hannakuh with a Jewish peer.

“Mostly what Hanukkah is all about from what I know [and] my experiences with my friend is about spending time with family and sharing,” Shanbhag said. 

Regardless of which holiday you celebrate, a common theme is getting the family together. For Kealan Clark, ‘26, family is what Christmas is all about.

“My favorite memory was probably when my sister came up from Georgia, back home for the Christmas season,” Clark said. “And all my family and grandparents went downstairs to watch a movie.”

Another constant amongst the December holidays is the tradition of giving and receiving gifts. Gifts are what separate these holidays from others throughout the year.

“That [gifting and receiving] is all it’s about giving,” Cunningham said. “I think all you have is anticipation for that big day.”

Christmas songs and movies have also become a staple of the holiday season for many people. 

“My favorite Christmas movie…How the Grinch Stole Christmas,”  Clark said. “I’ve just been watching it since my childhood, so I sort of grew up with it.”

Some argue over what the most important aspect of the Holiday season is, whether the gifts or the movies, but perhaps what is truly important in the holidays is the joy that is created.

“This is a time of year I really look forward to,” Cunningham said. “All the lights and everything. There is nothing really like it.”