During the holidays, students have a variety of family traditions that help make the holidays even more special and enjoyable. The holidays are a fun time for many, and something that many students look forward to.
through generations.
Freshman, Louise Beraud-Sudreau shared a traditional dish she always eats during the holidays, “My favorite food to eat during the holidays is called raclette. It’s a French dish, which um is basically like cheesy potatoes.”
Raclette is a French dish and is important to her because it represents her culture and family heritage. Also, it has been a tradition to eat it every year during the holidays for her family.
Eating traditional foods are important to students as it reflects their culture. Important dishes often hold symbolic significance, and mark special occasions. For some, it can mean honoring who started making that dish first, or connecting people to some of their cultural traditions.
Another student shares their family traditions of making a yam casserole. Traditions can have cultural reference, or they can just be for fun. Freshman, Hailey Niu, shares the yam casserole that she makes, and is significant because it is a tradition that she gets to share with her mom. Niu stated, “We . . . mash up yams and add butter, sugar . . . into it, and then we put it on a tray, and then we candy pecans ourselves and then we crush them up, and then we top them on top, and then we bake it. ’’
This food may not have a certain representation, but it has been a tradition for her during the holidays. Many traditions are formed so people can spend time with their loved ones. For example, watching movies together, hanging Christmas lights, exchanging gifts, and more are holiday traditions that many of us have but don’t realize that they are traditions.
One special aspect during the holidays is gift-giving. It is a way to show your appreciation for one another, or just to celebrate with others.
While many give gifts with more significance, many give boxes of cookies or chocolates. Baking with loved ones has become a tradition that many people have! They may bake them for friends and family, or just to celebrate the season. 
A special tradition during the holidays for Freshman Chloe Sertich, is baking during the holidays. Sertich stated, “There’s an old recipe that has been passed down through my family. I’m Croatian and my grandma’s . . . great grandma brought this recipe from Croatia with her.”
Recipes that have been passed down through generations are important to many, as it helps them to honor those people, but also remember their heritage during the holidays. The holidays are a fun time of the year, and students have many different ways of celebrating them.
