Freshmen:

Jos Berry – “Christmas means family, joy, decorations and Christmas spirit to me. It brings the family together and closer with gifts, putting up decorations and the overall feeling you get when the Christmas season begins. With winter starting, the general mood is down, but Christmas fills you with spirit in the best time possible.” 

Elizabeth Engle –  “Christmas is a special time to spend with family and friends, to be surrounded by what you love and to make memories. One part of Christmas is to give gifts to one another and to see the happy look on their faces when they open what you got them. It is one of the best feelings.” 

Zachary Noble – “Christmas is a holiday meant for Christians. Religious people and many people still celebrate, despite their religion, so I would describe the meaning as a time to have fun and receive gifts to express our love toward one another.”

Sophomores:

Nathan Sander – “To me, Christmas is really about family. I know that that is the same thing that everyone says but few people stop and truly think about the people around them, what they do for you, and how they affect the person that you are.”

Sydney Wahl – “I love the Christmas season, including all the music and movies and hot cocoa that comes with it. As soon as December 1 hits, my Spotify is Christmas music 24/7. But I feel like sometimes we all tend to get so wrapped up in the gifts and decorations and forget the true meaning of Christmas, which is celebrating the birth of baby Jesus. So for me, Christmas is a time to be with family and friends and to thank God for the gift he blessed us with.”

Ava Campman – “To me, Christmas is a time to enjoy with friends and family and to show your appreciation through acts of kindness to everyone. And also to eat cookies. Lots of cookies.”

Juniors:

Andrew Harshman – “To me, Christmas is about celebrating the birth of Jesus and spending time with my family. Christmas time reminds everyone that helping people and showing love and kindness towards everyone is one of the most important things someone could do.  One of my favorite things to do during Christmas is giving to others.  Whether volunteering or giving presents to friends and family, I enjoy helping others out however I can.” 

Sierra Craig – “Christmas is not just a day to me, it is the whole holiday season and spirit. Everyone can agree that Christmas time is one of the happiest times of the year and brings people together in high, joyous spirits with love and care in their hearts. Christmas is a time when everyone can go home to see their families after so long of being apart and enjoy warm gatherings with delicious meals. Christmas is a time of giving and appreciating others and taking time to spend quality time with the most important people in our lives.” 

Julia Luzar – “To me, Christmas means spending time with family, making a bunch of food, driving around looking for Christmas lights and watching Christmas movies with my family. We also decorate our house inside and out and make a trip to the Christmas tree farm to pick out the perfect tree (that is usually too big for our living room!). Christmas is my favorite time of year, and I try to focus on sharing love, friendship and peace during the Christmas season.”

Seniors:

Sarah Maskarinec – “Christmas is coming together and watching childrens’ faces light up with the enjoyment of presents from Santa Claus. Christmas is everyone coming together no matter what is happening in the world or your life at the time and celebrating and enjoying the time and season together in all the chaos of the world. Christmas is sharing with others and seeing the enjoyment on their faces. Christmas is going to church and celebrating the birth of Christ and praying for the good new year.” 

Giovanni Cipoletti – “Christmas, for me, is almost like a distraction from the common stress that life brings to anyone. It’s a time to be with the ones you love with good cheer and to exchange gifts that are more about the goodwill and meaning within than the price and extreme quality. This is a time to treat yourself and others, to appreciate yourself and others, in preparation for the next year.”

Casey Reinhardt – “Christmas means a time of getting together with people who feel like family to you. Sure, you get presents and whatnot, but it’s really about spending time with the people who you genuinely care about, whether they be family or friends.”

Teachers:

Mrs. Monteleone – “Christmas is spending time with my family and our holiday traditions of decorating the tree, making treats, and watching ‘White Christmas’ on Christmas Eve.” 

Mrs. Beachy – “What Christmas means to me is love and hope. This is a time to spend on loving others, giving gifts, and cherishing quality time together. Hope is found in Christmas’s message which is always a lovely reminder of the year. It also means singing holiday songs all December long!” 

Herr Mac – “A time of year to celebrate the good in the world and hopefully inspire all to treat each other with kindness and respect.  And… let’s not forget the reason for the season.”