For English teacher Jessica Kranz, Christmas magic is whatever someone makes of it.
“Recognizing the reasons why we each celebrate is personal, and finding that magic in the everyday ordinary and beyond is what truly brings out the best in the season,” Kranz said.
With Christmas items hitting the shelves of stores like Walmart shortly after Halloween, families must decide when to start decorating for Christmas.
“I think that anytime after Halloween is fair game for holiday decor,” Kranz said. “In my family, we leave fall decorations up until after Thanksgiving, then put our village up between Halloween and Thanksgiving, and then go full-on Christmas right after Thanksgiving. Creating those good vibes on dark, early mornings with chilly, damp air is a huge boost to our moods.”
Some families’ Christmas decorating doesn’t truly start until everyone can participate.
“We start decorating when we go on Christmas break because we are home all day, and my dad is home,” freshman Marissa Schoenradt said. “So, he is able to help decorate, and he doesn’t feel left out. It’s a Christmas tradition to pick out a real tree every year. We put up our real Christmas tree. We do Christmas lights, bulbs, all the stuff.”
In some households, people have an Elf on the Shelf.
“My favorite Christmas memory is probably waking up on Dec. 1 and finding the elves with my brother because we would always push each other trying to find the elf first,” Schoenradt said. “Now, I get to do that with my 5-year-old sister.”
On Christmas, waking up to see what Santa brought is part of the fun.
“As a kid growing up, Christmas was mostly about waking up before everyone, running around the house, jumping on the beds of my older brothers and parents screaming, ‘Santa was here!’ repeatedly,” Century Career Center teacher Michael Shannon said.
The impact of the Christmas season can have long-lasting memories for people.
“As time moves along, you will find this season is not just about material things,” Shannon said. “It is about spending time with family who love you and recognizing how fortunate you may be to be able to enjoy these times.”
