I’ll Be (At) Home for Christmas

It’s that wonderful time of year again: the holiday season! However, this year’s holiday traditions may look a little different. Instead of traveling or going out, families have had to adapt to the current state of the world by hosting smaller gatherings or going entirely virtual. However, students and staff at GHS have tried to keep some traditions alive.

 Many Thanksgivings were virtual this year with families having gatherings via video calls. Mrs. Bookless stayed home this year with her husband and kids. “We ate dinner with my mother-in-law and it was very quiet,” explained Bookless. “My family is not quiet – so having something low key was really different for me.” However, they still tried to keep some traditions going. Bookless states, “My little family watched movies during the day, had dinner at night and then put up our Christmas tree over the weekend.” Although they didn’t get the Thanksgiving they hoped for, the Booklesses, and other GHS families made the most out of what they had.

This year’s Christmas celebrations are looking to be quite different as well. The Richardsons, for example, are trying to keep a sense of normal in the new, chaotic world. Kate Richardson ‘23 says that the thing that will change the most this year “is not being able to have a bunch of family Christmases with all the relatives.” Richardson goes on to explain, “The one tradition we are trying to keep is Secret Santas.” The families in GHS plan to keep as many traditions alive as possible in order to have a small sense of normal.

Changes have been made to keep the holiday spirit alive from video call celebrations to online shopping. But no matter how families celebrate the holidays this year, it is still sure to be merry and bright!