By Ashley McEntush
With Thanksgiving just a few days away, students are already starting to decorate for Christmas. Senior Liliana McHugh said, “I start decorating for Christmas after Thanksgiving.”
Sophomore Izzy Payne said she starts decorating “any time after Halloween or right after Thanksgiving.” Payne also shared that she and her family have fun traditions they do while setting up Christmas decorations. “I always watch A Christmas Story and bake peppermint cookies with my mom,” Payne added.
McHugh said she decorates for Christmas after Thanksgiving and that her family has fun traditions with each other. One tradition is “whole family decorates the tree together.” McHugh shared that her favorite thing around Christmas is “decorating the Christmas tree with my family.”
Freshman Jude Gehring said he decorates for Christmas after Thanksgiving “on December 1st at the latest.” Gehring said that while his family decorates for Christmas, they always have “A Charlie Brown Christmas tree up every year.” Gehring shared, “I don’t really mind unless it’s over the top.” Gehring also shared that one of his fun family traditions is to “bake cookies together.”
Junior Grace Tierney shared that she starts decorating “after Halloween but shouldn’t finish until after Thanksgiving.” Tierney also said that one of her family traditions is “whoever finds the Christmas pickle opens presents first.”
Senior Addy Reineke said that she does not put up Christmas decorations until after Thanksgiving. Reineke shared that she always does “cookie decorating with girls on my mom’s side.”
Sophomore Parker Birt said she gets in the Christmas spirit in July but doesn’t decorate until “the day after Thanksgiving or on Thanksgiving when everyone leaves [after dinner].” One of Birt’s favorite family traditions is that “my dad and I wait for my mom to get home and decorate the tree together and make hot chocolate.” Birt also shared that “holiday music starts right after the Fourth of July.”
Freshman Micah Badell shared that her family started decorating for Christmas after Thanksgiving. Badell said, “Every year my family and I go to my grandma’s house and spend Christmas there.” Badell also shared that she makes Christmas cookies too.
Freshman Anna Ernst said that she wants to decorate for Christmas before Thanksgiving “but my parents won’t let me.” Some of Ernst’s traditions include “putting up the Christmas tree while watching White Christmas and listening to Christmas music.” Ernst said that her favorite thing to do while decorating for Christmas is “getting to put the star on the tree.”
Teacher Mr. Randy Royal said that he starts decorating for Christmas “the weekend after Halloween.” In his classroom, he starts decorating on “the first day in November.” Some of Royal’s family traditions include “When the kids and I are decorating the house, we have Christmas music on with The Grinch playing in the background.” Royal added that they watch White Christmas as a family while decorating the tree. Royal’s favorite thing to decorate is “the big tree” but his favorite tradition overall is “reading The Christmas Story with my girls.”
Freshman Lily June shared that she starts decorating for Christmas before Thanksgiving. June’s favorite traditions include the Christmas pickle. “An adult hides the pickle inside the tree, and the kids try to find it. Whoever finds it is the ‘smartest child’ and gets an extra present,” she explained. June also said, “I open my birthday presents on Christmas because my birthday is December 29.”
From finding the Christmas Pickle to baking cookies with family, each tradition is special and in the end, it doesn’t matter if the decorating takes place before or after Thanksgiving; each student and their family choose what’s best for them.
The McNicholas Milestone 