Holidays at Highlands

THE MONTH OF DECEMBER can feel like a slog for many students at Northern Highlands. It’s when seniors finalize college applications and first semester grades are wrapping up. The race to the finish line can be stressful; thankfully, the holidays and upcoming festivities act as a beacon of light, incentivizing students to work hard so they can fully relish the celebrations, not to mention some R&R over winter break.

“I celebrate Christmas with my family,” says Lulu St. Pierre, a junior at Northern Highlands. “This time reminds me how grateful I am for them, something we all share when we say what we’re the most grateful for at Christmas dinner.”

Senior Maggie Burchell says her family comes together to celebrate the holiday through their own cultural traditions. They embark on a journey filled with food, laughter, and togetherness, as they celebrate the Feast of Seven Fishes. Burchell explains this Catholic-Italian tradition and how her family enjoys it.

“Normally, we go to mass on Christmas Eve before having this dinner,” she says. She notes that it’s more common to go to church before dinner, since it’s so lengthy. “We usually start eating at 4, and end at 10 or 11 p.m.”

The reason the dinner takes so long is because between each course, they have to cook the next one, Burchell says.

“It takes hours to prepare,” she says. “We normally celebrate with my aunt, uncle, cousins, and my grandma here, or if we’re celebrating Christmas in Vermont, we celebrate with our neighbors there. We invite everyone to celebrate this tradition with us, even if they’re not Italian or Catholic. It’s just such a fun experience we want everyone to be a part of.”

The lengthy nature of the dinner allows Burchell and her family to spend lots of time together, which she believes is bonding and one of the reasons (aside from scallops wrapped in bacon) that she so greatly enjoys this tradition.

“It forces us to spend a lot of time with our family and friends, which I love,” she says.

Winter break culminates on New Years, a day (and night before) which many students spend celebrating with their families and friends.

“New Years is an exciting time,” says St. Pierre. “It marks the end of a successful year and opens the door to a new one.” No matter how students celebrate the holidays, they serve as milestones and breaks in an otherwise busy year and create opportunities to relax surrounded by loved ones.

BY LANEY MCCROSSIN