St. Nicholas Day (Dec 6, 2024)
When Delaney Hefferon, ‘26, was very little, she would leave her shoes in front of the bedroom door, excited and eager for what was to come. “And when I’d wake up in the morning,” she says, “I’d have little goodies in my shoes, like chocolates.” Leaving boots in front of the bedroom door is a classic tradition for St. Nicholas Day, where St. Nicholas would leave kids little chocolates if they had been good that year. But that’s not all that is done around St. Nicholas Day. Hefferon also celebrated the holiday by hearing the story of St. Nicholas from her dad. “[St. Nicholas Day] helped us be connected and just have a fun spirit during Christmas,” says Hefferon.
The story of St. Nicholas and his assistant, the Krampus, is traditionally used to scare children into being good with a small gift incentive. “In my old school, the senior class would dress up as St. Nicholas and would come into classes and give out chocolate,” Helena Kolecek, ‘26, says. “But also put marks of black coal on students and teachers as a sign of the Krampus. It was always really fun because everyone was just laughing.” For Kolecek, St. Nicholas Day was more than just goodies and stories. It was the day for her yearly traditions, her first Christmas market of the year, and the day of Secret Santa. “It’s a day where we would celebrate Christmas time, be excited for the actual Christmas days, and be happy and grateful for family and the people around us.”
Regardless of what is done to celebrate on St. Nicholas Day, it’s always a day of laughter and connection and a day to celebrate the people closest to us. And to be good, or else the Krampus would put you in his bag and beat you.
St. Lucia Day (Dec 13, 2024)
“In my old school, the students in second grade would dress up in white dresses and walk through the hall in a single file line while singing the St. Lucia song,” says David Beck, ‘26. “I was never in the St. Lucia parade, but I do remember watching my sister in it.”
“I remember being really excited to sing for the teachers and the students in the school,” says Camille Beck, ‘25. She and Alex Weimer, ‘25, sang in their school choirs for St. Lucia Day, celebrating the exciting Scandinavian holiday. Although it isn’t the most prominent holiday, it still brings people together for the winter season. Every year for St. Lucia, Weimer goes with his family to the Minnesota Swedish Institute to watch his siblings perform. “My family and I usually meet after school and eat all sorts of cookies and other snacks,” says D. Beck.
Like much of the Christmas season, St. Lucia Day is a day that brings people together. And even though the day isn’t the most important tradition for C. Beck, “I appreciate that it excites the kids who get to go through the hallways, and I always enjoyed watching and listening as I got older.”
Christmas (Dec 25, 2024)
Christmas is a day of traditions and celebrations, a day to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ and a day to celebrate loved ones. For Ariya Hook, ‘27, the Christmas tradition is to travel with family. For Sophie Erickson, ‘25, “on every Christmas Eve, [my family and I] get Buca for dinner and play bingo for presents.” For Kaitlyn Anlauf, ‘26, one of her favorite traditions surrounds a tree, called “The Charlie Brown tree.” It’s a mini Christmas tree her and her sister decorate with their own lights and ornaments. For Evan Ginter, ‘26, it’s watching holiday movies with the people closest to us.
“One of my favorite memories around Christmas is watching How The Grinch Stole Christmas with my family every year,” says Ginter. “It’s a great reminder that Christmas isn’t all about gifts.” Christmas, to most, is about celebrating family and the birth of Jesus Christ. Ginter, like many others, goes to church on Christmas day and “[sings] Silent Night while holding candles, a song that represents the peace that came to our world when this humble little baby came into our world to save us all.”
However, for many, the festivities of Christmas transcend religious connotations: the joys of the holiday season and the anticipation for the upcoming year create a harmonious environment. Whether you like listening to Christmas music, like Ginter, or you enjoy decorating Christmas trees, like Anlauf and her family’s Charlie Brown tree, it’s a holiday many look forward to, and brings many together.
Hanukkah (Dec 25, 2024 – Jan 2, 2025)
“I’m super excited for the holiday season and to celebrate Hanukkah with my family and friends!” exclaims Brady Ginsburg, ‘26. Hanukkah, a greatly anticipated Jewish holiday, marks the recovery and rededication of the Second Temple in Jerusalem. “Some of the traditions surrounding Hanukkah is the lighting of the menorah,” Jacob Heidelberg, ‘28 shared, “each night we light a new candle with the shamus, one for each night.” According to Marley Zoss, ‘26, other traditions include “playing the dreidel game, eating sufganiyot ([jelly filled donuts]), latkes [(potato pancakes]) and gelt [(chocolate coins]), lighting the menorah each 8 nights, [and] receiving presents.” Typically spent with family or close friends, Zoss also expressed that “every year [his] family and [goes] to [his] grandparents for a Hanukkah party and [his] grandma makes traditional Hanukkah food.” Heidelberg also shared that “something unique about Hanukkah is that it spans eight nights which is a very long time, and I really like this because it allows me to spend more time with my family.”
Three Kings Day (Jan 6, 2025)
Originating in Spain before spreading to Latin American countries, Three Kings Day is historically a Catholic holiday commemorating the three kings who followed the star of Bethlehem to bring gifts to newly-born Jesus Christ. However, similar to Christmas, commercial influences have diminished the religious connotations, placing more emphasis on spending time with family and friends.
Timeo Daumalle, ‘25, highlights some of his experiences on Three Kings Day by explaining, “the first Sunday of the month my family makes a ‘galette des Rois [almond pie]’ and there is a figurine hidden in the pie. Whoever gets that figurine is elected as the ‘king’ for the day. I’m excited because the pie is both good and there is a chance to get the figurine.”
Connor Cox, ‘26, also expressed some Three Kings Day traditions in Mexico and many other Hispanic countries. “The night of Three Kings Day, you get together with family and get a big decorated pastry called a rosca, which is filled with little baby Jesus figures. The tradition is that everyone cuts their slice of the rosca and whoever gets one of the baby Jesus figures has to throw a party and make tamales on February 2nd [día de la candelaria]. My family usually hosts the día de Reyes dinner and we invite a lot of friends and family over. My mom usually cooks a lot of Mexican food and we buy a massive rosca. It’s a really fun tradition and the rosca is always bomb,” Connor Cox, ‘26, shares, “the only story I really have about it was one year my white friend ended up getting like three of the baby Jesus dolls but unfortunately never made tamales.”
