December 25th, is the big day when friends and family gather together! There are so many different ways that people celebrate Christmas.
A teacher from Peter Skene Ogden Secondary School, Ken Mackenzie, enjoys cross-country skiing with his family up at 99 Mile Cross Country Ski Trails. He also enjoys it when everybody gets together for the big Christmas dinner filled with lots of food and baked goods. He likes playing games with the family.
In Ken’s eyes, it is sacrilege to have anything but a real Christmas tree. When he was young, he wrote and sent a letter to Santa but stopped when he was around five or six years old. He remembers and loves the postal code for Santa, HO HO HO! He still believes in the spirit of Santa Claus!
Oliver, a grade 11 student from PSO loves being able to see his family that he hasn’t seen in a while such as his Aunt and Uncle, who he only sees around Christmas. He and his family used to volunteer at the 100 Mile Foodbank and around Christmas time where they would give out free toys, appliances and food.
He also prefers a real tree. They go out in the bush and cut down the tree which to him, looks way better and he loves that you can choose a big one. However, you need to take care of them by watering them and cleaning up all the needles once you take them down. Oliver used to send letters to Santa but hasn’t in about five to six years. He believed in Santa until he was around nine years old, then he found out his mum put all the gifts under the tree.
Lori Meville, who also teaches at PSO, loves being able to go out and enjoy the snow while cross-country skiing and coincidentally running into Ken on the same trails! On Christmas day, she has a big Christmas breakfast and dinner with her family. She has donated to the foodbank either goods or money. She loves having a real tree over a fake tree all the way! She has written letters to Santa in the past however stopped around nine or 10 years of age. She still believes that Santa is real because he is the Christmas spirit!
Grade 12 student Mackenzie enjoys when everyone comes together for the holiday season. A tradition she does on Christmas Eve is opening one present, usually Christmas pyjamas, that she wears on Christmas morning!
She has a fake Christmas tree because in her eyes, it's not about the tree being real or fake, it’s about the tree bringing the whole family together to celebrate something special. Mackenzie wrote letters to Santa every year except for this year because she’s been busy with graduation requirements. She believes that there was a St. Nick but not Santa visiting on Christmas Eve night anymore. She stopped believing in Santa Claus when she was in Grade 7, although as she got older, she figured out that even if Santa is real or not, that doesn’t mean the magic of Christmas doesn’t exist.
As you can see, many people celebrate Christmas in different ways, along with myself. For my family, it’s just my mum, my brother and I, but we make the best out of it and the holidays will always be such a core memory for me. My brother and I have set up the live Santa tracker on the TV every Christmas Eve for the last 17 years.
I have also written letters to Santa for 17 years, and I always get a letter back! Our tradition is to start watching Christmas movies from the first of December till Christmas. We open one present on Christmas Eve, and we always go out in the bush to find the biggest tree we can find. Last year, our tree was 11 feet tall! We are part Scottish, so having black pudding for breakfast is a tradition.
Throughout the holiday season to come, we also must be aware that even though this is a happy time for many, not all enjoy it or celebrate it at all. Some people may have lost loved ones or not have family around. Always remember to be kind to everyone because you don’t know what they could be going through. Happy holidays!
