The holiday season is about family, selflessness, gift giving, and of course, tradition. Families have vast arrays of traditions, and we wanted to hear them! We asked students on campus what their family traditions are, and how the holiday season feels for them.

One student states that in his family, they all gather up in a house and celebrate together with over 50 people every year. They start with eating a huge dinner, then end off the night by opening gifts and spending time together. “It’s a great time to bond with relatives you never knew about!” He said that meeting so many members of his family all at once feels like a tiny country and a real home, perfect for the holidays.

One girl told Quest, “We don’t get together often, so it’s great to connect with people we haven’t seen in a year.”She stated that in her family, Christmas starts off with a small party full of new family and old family, coming together and enjoying the atmosphere of the holiday. She told us that they also do a White Elephant exchange, where each member of the family brings a wrapped present and puts a number on it. The players have to draw a number from a hat to see what present they get, then the next player can either pick an gift still wrapped or take another players present. Her family has done this every year she can remember, and says that she hopes to continue doing it for her future family.

A third student has a particularly interesting tradition. Every year, everyone gets a Christmas ornament that represents them, all the way up until they turn 18. At 18,  their mother gives them all the ornaments from his 18 years of Christmas.”I can’t wait to get all my ornaments when I turn 18, they mean so much to me,” he said. He said that his mother is the one who came up with the tradition when he was born, to keep the Christmas memories alive and around.

The holiday season can be celebrated in many different ways, but all traditions hold the family and unity that makes the holiday season what it truly is.