VITERBO UNIVERSITY'S FAVORITE HOLIDAY TRADITIONS
The Christmas lights are now up around campus, the President’s Holiday Dinner was successful once again and the Rotary Lights shine as beautifully as ever in Riverside Park. We’ve survived our first major snowfall and with finals approaching, Christmas is just around the corner. With the holiday season comes many traditions, some shared by many and others unique to each family. Check out the favorite holiday traditions of Viterbo students – maybe you will find a new tradition to start in your family.
My favorite holiday tradition is . . .
Maddy: Watching “Christmas Vacation” with my family.
Amber: Having the whole family pile into the car after opening gifts and going to look at Christmas lights.
Jessica: At Thanksgiving and Christmas my mom makes this Jell-O dish for dinner. It consists of strawberry Jell-O, strawberry sherbet, strawberries, and cool whip. It tastes delicious and we only eat it during the holidays!
Jess: After Christmas Eve mass we drive around to look at Christmas lights.
Caitlin: My family likes to make a type of Norwegian cookie called sandbakkels, and on Christmas Eve we like to watch the movie “The Nativity!”
Ashley: My mom always does St. Nicholas gifts on the night of December 5th. Even now, with both my sister and I in college, she will deliver St. Nicholas gifts to us. On Christmas day, we open presents as soon as my sister and I wake up. Then, we have our family dinner in the afternoon with my mom’s side of the family. It’s always hosted at my parents’ house. We eat dinner, catch up with one another, and I always do a holiday craft with the young cousins.
Taylor: My dad’s side of the family always plays Euchre during our family Christmas get-together because it’s my grandparents’ favorite card game.
Megan: Being with the extended family watching old home videos.
Katie: Having Christmas with my immediate family on Christmas Eve then going to my grandma’s on Christmas Day and spending the holiday with my extended family!
Delany: Christmas lights on the trees and the President’s dinner!
Rachel: Last year I got my first Christmas tree for my apartment. It’s also the first tree I’ve ever owned myself, so it’s really special. I love decorating it the way I want and collecting ornaments for it throughout the year. Once I get it up near the beginning of December, I watch my favorite Christmas show, “A Year Without Santa Claus,” with the tree lights shining in the background. It’s an old and new tradition: it’s something I used to do as a kid at my parent’s house, and now it’s something I do for my own place.
Brandy: Opening one present on Christmas Eve with my family. It’s always a small gift and we only get to open 1, but it’s nice. It started when my sister and I were little. We were too impatient to wait for Christmas Day so my mom would let us open 1 small gift on Christmas Eve.
Hunter: The tradition in my family now, because everyone is an adult now, is that we open presents on Christmas Eve so everyone can sleep in.
Erika: My favorite holiday tradition is cutting down a Christmas tree the weekend following Thanksgiving with my family.
Levi: Going to my grandma’s on Christmas Eve to open presents and spend time with my family. It is always a fun time because I get to see all of my first cousins, aunts, and uncles. We always have a blast!
Victoria: We hide a pickle ornament in the tree and all of the cousins try to find it. It’s like an old German tradition.
Ethin: Spending Christmas day with my family.
Ellie: Laying under the trees at Viterbo once the lights are in them. Especially the pine by the Fine Arts Center.
Molly: Going to see lights or spending time with my family Christmas Eve and day.
Mason: Watching “Christmas Vacation” on Christmas night after getting back from a candlelit church service, and afterwards we eat Christmas cookies before going to bed for Christmas Day.
Cole: We always do white elephant.
Desirae: Having Christmas Eve at my house!
Sara: Getting together with my dad’s side of the family because it isn’t often that they all get together.
Terilynne: My favorite holiday tradition is every Christmas morning after we open presents my mom and I go for a snow shoe and take a picture at our favorite spot! Then we head home and make Christmas dinner together!
Tessa: Drinking hot chocolate while cutting down the tree!
Ammie: Wearing ugly Christmas sweaters and listening to Christmas music while making cookies.
Carly: Baking Christmas cookies with my family.
Jocelyn: Every Christmas Eve my family will track where Santa Claus is at even though my youngest sister is 18 and we are a little old to believe in Santa Claus. We still will go on the Santa tracking site and wait until he gets to America. And once he gets to America we go to bed.
Bryce: Watching “Christmas Vacation” with the family after opening presents.
Danielle: My family is spread across the Midwest, and we don’t get the chance to be all together often. So, we try to watch “Christmas Vacation” as many times as possible together, communicating by phone that Clark has one-way again “fixed the Newell post!”
Carter: My favorite holiday tradition is pretty cliché but it’s simply being with family every single year. Ever since I can remember, I have went to my aunt’s house every year and we cook a Norwegian meal. But to me, the whole tradition that matters is having my whole family come together!
Kateri: Baking Christmas cookies with my family.
Connor: My grandma is from Mexico, and every year we make a Mexican dinner on Christmas Eve. This dinner includes tamales, red chili, homemade tortillas, etc. That’s really the only tradition we have!
Sarah: Every year, my family of 8 does Secret Santa. The rule is that we have to make, bake, grow, or sew the gift. It has been so fun watching how gifts change over the years, from painted rocks when we were very young, to beautiful wooden chests as we got older. Gifts bring out tears, laughs, and lots of love. It is such a great tradition within my family and I hope it continues well into our future extended family.
Sammi: My grandma’s lasagna and white elephant gift exchange on Christmas! Courtney: My favorite Christmas tradition is watching Christmas movies with my family. Each day up until Christmas my family and I watch different Christmas movies. We watch the traditional ones like “A Christmas Story,” “A Christmas Carol,” and “How the Grinch Stole Christmas.” On Christmas Eve after we eat we watch a “Nativity Story.” It helps us remember what Christmas is truly about. Riely: My Dad always hid a pickle ornament on the tree and then whichever one of us kids found it got to open the first present. Clara: My family always makes graham cracker houses on Thanksgiving so that we can get into the Christmas spirit.
Taylor: Setting the tree up with my family the day or weekend after Thanksgiving, opening presents on Christmas Eve and stockings on Christmas morning, and going to my grandparents’ on Christmas Day and spending the day with my whole family.
McKenzi: Going to my grandparents’ house Christmas Eve and making memories!
Danielle: I would say that my favorite holiday traditions are decorating Christmas cookies with my mom and sister. Then two days after Christmas celebrating my birthday.
Abigail: Putting up my family’s giant Christmas tree with my sisters and my nieces and nephews.
Kayla: Getting a chocolate Christmas countdown calendar so I can have a piece of chocolate for every day in December. My roommate likes the music.
Madison: Christmas Eve when my whole family watches Christmas movies together.
Jenna: Decorating the tree is definitely my all-time favorite thing.
Olivia: Decorating the Christmas tree as a family!