Every year around the holidays, the time people spend together starts to become more important. The holidays are a reminder to spend quality time with those that are cherished.
“It is just very intimate. Fun times just create memories, you know,” said junior Byron Hon. Traveling is one of the most common activities during the holiday season. People from all parts of the country take to the roads and the skies to see loved ones.
“My sister comes home from Florida and we usually celebrate Christmas with friends and family,” junior Kendall Brookbank said. Traveling might not be everyone’s favorite holiday activity, but it opens the door for many more exciting times.
The streets around Indianapolis light up every year with more and more Christmas lights. Businesses, families and parks participate in the holiday cheer by decorating their buildings, fences and anything an extension ladder can reach. Even the Indianapolis Zoo gets in on the fun by lighting up their walking paths.
“I usually go with my grandma or [to] my grandparents’ house,” Hon said, “I will go watch Christmas lights with my grandma and everybody else.” The time spent together is what allows people to grow closer and create fond memories with each other.
Another cozy pastime for the holidays is watching movies. Many people start to rewatch their favorite films or even try to look for some new movies to watch. “I watch T.V. with my family. We watch Harry Potter,” senior Ram Mawi said.
Holiday movies are a staple for many and they put people in the holiday spirit. “We really love to watch movies like Christmas movies and holiday movies,” sophomore Maggie Ammerman said.
To accompany the movie, many friendly Falcons like to bake delicious treats. “I bake cookies, a lot of sugar cookies and gingerbread and these one red velvet cookies,” said Ammerman, “I love to bake.”
Some folks just want to sit around a warm fireplace. “We do a yule log where we keep the tree from last year,” said sophomore Olsen Burr, “We chop it up and put it in a fire. We [write] our intentions on paper [and throw them in].”
The holidays can be a comfort for so many. With families in town visiting, friendly rivalries lead to backyard showdowns. “I just always remember our backyard football games with all of us together with big teams. It is chaos but it is fun,” Hon said.
Dreary, cold winter weather does not just mean indoor activities. Fun in the snow leads many Falcons outside. This can range from extreme snow sports, “Me and my family we go skiing,” Mawi said, to having a snowball fight with loved ones and making snow angels, “I go sledding every year with my friends,” Ammerman said.
Whatever the holidays hold, the two weeks off from school will always be a highlight for students. A time where they can relax, sit back and enjoy a hot cup of hot chocolate.
