Students share their favorite Christmas traditions

BY PAYTON MARKS / Multimedia Journalist

The semester is quickly coming to a close as we make our way through the last month of the semester. 

Before you know it, we’ll blink, and it will be time to celebrate Christmas. 

What better way to get us in the mood for Christmas than to reminisce on Tarleton State University students’ favorite Christmas traditions? 

Many people have various Christmas traditions such as watching movies or decorating the Christmas tree, but a common tradition seems to be looking at Christmas lights. 

“My favorite Christmas tradition is driving around with my parents to see all the Christmas lights because it’s a fun way to spend quality time with them,” senior Sarah Green said.

She wasn’t the only student who enjoys looking at lights with their family, however, some students such as junior Marissa Garza take the tradition an extra step further. 

“I love driving around neighborhoods looking at lights with my family while drinking hot chocolate and listening to Christmas music,” Garza said. “I enjoy it because it’s always a good opportunity for me and my family to have a good time together while being off of technology and just spending some quality time together.” 

While some students can easily narrow it down to and choose just one single tradition that they love more than the rest some students such as junior clinical psychology major Claire Chaddick have multiple traditions that they would consider to be their favorite, traditions such as being with family and eating foods reserved mainly for the holiday. 

“To me the best part about Christmas, or the holidays in general, is getting to be with my extended family and eating the food,” Chaddick said. “Every Christmas morning, we go over to my grandparent’s home and eat breakfast and my grandma makes her monkey bread.”

On top of enjoying her family’s company and food Chaddick also loves their annual game of White Elephant that they play. 

“There’s usually around 30 of us who play White Elephant every year and I think it’s a really fun way for us to exchange gifts,” Chaddick said. 

Christmas traditions are part of what makes the holiday what it is for so many of us whether that be singing Christmas carols, baking cookies, playing games or looking at Christmas lights.