Husky Holiday Traditions

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Nina Rock

The winter holidays are a time of joy, and each family has unique ways of celebrating. For Nina Rock, Christmas is a blend of spiritual reflection and family bonding. Every December, she and her mom face off in a friendly Christmas decorating challenge. They transform their rooms with festive Christmas celebrations; her dad is the judge. Nina says, "It's a fun way to get into the holiday spirit." Nina's church community practices Simbang Gabi, a Filipino Catholic tradition that involves nine consecutive days of Mass leading up to Christmas. The community goes to Mass at 5 a.m. for nine days leading up to Christmas. After Mass, they have a breakfast consisting of traditional Filipino foods such as lumpia, pancit, and longanisa. Nina describes it as a bonding moment for the church members and says it is an extraordinary mass. The highlight of her holiday is the Midnight Mass at Holy Spirit Catholic Church. Nina describes the service as a symbolic celebration of Jesus' birth. It happens at midnight on Christmas Eve every year, and in the service, “They bring in an actual baby from the congregation to represent baby Jesus, placing him in a cradle at the altar,” she explains. The church's children often perform a Nativity play alongside the reading of the Christmas story. Nina participates as an altar server or helps set up Mass. A familial tradition for Nina is cooking Beef Wellington every Christmas. She explains, “Honestly, that's just because of my brother's fixation on Gordon Ramsay.” Another highlight is going Christmas caroling with her extended family. These traditions make Nina's holiday season a mix of faith, family, and celebration.

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Amy Diep

For Amy Diep, the holidays are all about gathering with loved ones. Her family's annual get-together is a time to catch up, share laughter, make jokes, and have some long-awaited holiday food. Amy says she always looks forward to classic dishes like her mom's creamy mashed potatoes and Vietnamese fried noodles. Amy's mom starts the holiday spirit early by setting up their Christmas tree before Thanksgiving. "She loves the holiday vibe, and it makes the house feel festive," Amy shares. Alongside the tree, other annual Christamas celebrations such as wreaths and stockings are put up. One of Amy's favorite traditions with her friends is their annual Secret Santa gift exchange. They use Elfster to draw names and a slideshow to create wish lists. They set a $20 limit to keep things simple and fun. "It's always fun trying to guess who has who, and everyone always ends up loving their gifts," Amy reflects. One of the big highlights of Amy's holiday season is the Niles Canyon Christmas Train. It's a magical ride through the landscape of Niles as it's decorated with colorful, twinkling holiday lights. You can also get festive treats on the train, such as hot chocolate and cookies. She explains, "The lights are always so pretty, creating a magical ride." Amy also enjoys sipping hot chocolate and making cookies with her neighbor while they binge-watch Christmas movies. “My favorite Christmas movies are Home Alone and Elf,” she says. Last year Amy reminisced about making “French hot chocolate,” which was a trend at the time. She hopes to continue that tradition this year. Amy looks forward to these simple yet meaningful traditions that always make her holiday season magical.

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Sana Sahu

While most of us start the new year with late-night parties and lazy mornings, sophomore Sana Sahu and her family head outdoors to hike every January 1st. They started this fun, family tradition a few years ago during the COVID-19 pandemic. “It was my mom’s idea,” Sana says. “She really enjoys hiking and thought it would be a great way to boost our energy and start the year positively.” For Sana, hiking is a normal family activity. “We’re all pretty active,” she says. Each year, they select a new location to keep the tradition fresh and exciting. From mountain hikes in Olympic National Park to seaside cliffs in Hawaii, their hiking trips are all unique in different ways. Some trails have even been quite dangerous, requiring careful steps to avoid high drops. “One wrong move, and you could fall off the cliff,” Sana recalls. Weather has also been a factor; she recalls a rainy hike in India where she had to climb a mountain in just shorts and crocs. When asked if she would recommend this tradition to others, Sana says, “it depends on the person” and if they enjoy being active like her. She adds that the tradition is not for everyone, especially for those who like sleeping in. Personally, Sana says she hopes to continue the tradition in the future, even after she graduates high school. “We’ve already done it for a couple of years, so I wouldn’t want to break this kind of streak,” she says.

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Ms. Bustos

Ms. Bustos, an English teacher originally from the Philippines, spends the holidays participating in unique traditions that begin long before December 25th. “In the Philippines, we celebrate what we call ‘Ber months,’” she explains, referring to the months of September through December. She says, “We usually put up our Christmas tree then and don’t even do Halloween decorations.” Noche Buena, one of Bustos’s favorite holiday memories, is a dinner party held on Christmas Eve. Her family gathers around a large table filled with traditional dishes, including a family favorite: queso de bola, which is a ball of cheddar cheese in red wax. The evening is spent doing karaoke, conversing, and of course eating delicious food. Simbang Gabi is another cherished tradition that involves church services that are held either at dawn or late at night. Reflecting on her childhood, she recalls the joyful atmosphere of holiday caroling in the Philippines. She says, “Kids knock on people’s doors, and then they sing holiday music. And we give them money, typically just change.” Out of everything, she says, Filipino desserts are the most unique and delicious. Among her favorites are bibingka, a rice cake topped with salted egg and cheese, and puto bumbong, a purple ube sticky rice dessert with grated coconut and cheese. “We love cheese,” she adds with a smile. These treats, often cooked in banana leaves, are only available during the holiday season, which make them even more special. While her Filipino heritage remains at the center of her celebrations, living in the U.S. has brought a few changes. She now balances traditions with her partner, splitting time between their families, and blending their family activities together.

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Matthew Davis

Winter is a season full of joy and excitement for Matt Davis, a senior at Washington High School who loves the traditions that he shares with both family and friends. From gift exchanges to snowboarding, Matt’s winter traditions are all about making lasting memories. One of his favorite activities to partake in during winter is White Elephant, a game that requires strategy and an element of surprise. “Everyone brings a random gift, and we take turns opening or stealing presents in the order of our assigned numbers,” Matt explains. Typically with a budget in place, the presents can be silly or thoughtful, making the game both competitive and entertaining. Still, gift-giving comes with challenges: “It's probably harder because you have to think about what they wanted throughout the whole year. It's also difficult because someone else might buy the same present as you for the same family member.” Another winter tradition is a family trip to Lake Tahoe, where they rent a cabin and enjoy riding down the snow-covered mountains. While some family members ski, Matt personally loves to snowboard. “There’s nothing like the rush of speeding down the slopes,” he says. For beginners Matt suggests to take it slow: “Definitely start small and don't go straight to the big slopes. I’ve seen some people go to the big slopes for their first try and most of the time they get injured because they don't know how to balance themselves.” Whether on the slopes, in a cabin or during a game of White Elephant, Matt’s winter traditions are about family, fun and spending time together.

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Adrianna Herrera

For Adrianna Herrera, a senior at Washington High School, the holiday season is about family, food and deep rooted traditions which bring loved ones together. Adrianna’s family has one deeply rooted Christmas tradition which starts with selecting their tree by chopping one down or purchasing it from FoodMax. Christmas Eve is a twofold celebration as the Herrera Family combines Christmas with a birthday party for Adrianna’s younger sister. “We stay up all night making tamales and throwing a small party for her,” says Adrianna. The family then gathers on Christmas Day at her aunt's house where extended family reunites, many having not seen each other in months. “My whole extended family comes, especially the ones who live far away. It’s so exciting to see everyone,” she says. Preparation for their celebrations begins early, with the house adorned inside and out with winter decorations. Family members work together to make tamales, pozole and other hispanic dishes. Adrianna loves seeing her family members delight while tasting her parents cooking. Her uncle contributes by decorating their classic cars with lights for different parades, specifically the Niles Christmas Parade, a unique family tradition. When asked about her favorite memory of the holidays, Adrianna fondly recalled the year that her cousin from Los Angeles surprised them by visiting with his child. “It made me so happy, especially after not seeing them in a long time,” she says. For Adrianna, the holidays are a time to reconnect with loved ones. Whether that be through Secret Santa gift exchanges, tasty meals or festive parades, her family’s traditions shine light on the joy of togetherness and the unbreakable bonds that her family has.

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Nicholas Mason

Nicholas Mason is a senior at Washington High School and is an Eastern Orthodox Christian. Nicholas sees the winter break as a period of time where he can devote as much time to better himself as possible. “I do not want to waste a single minute on anything that isn’t fruitful,” he says. He intends to do so by going on long walks, hiking, and being more physically and spiritually aware. He enjoys the colder weather for his runs because it provides a nice challenge for him. He is very excited for Christmas because he may potentially go down to Colorado to visit his grandparents. He especially hopes to speak with his grandfather about everything that has been happening in his life and ask for his advice, as he is one of the wisest people he knows. Nicholas also hopes to go to San Francisco to visit a number of places, including the Holy Virgin Cathedral. “It has some of the most beautiful iconography and is definitely a place I’ve wanted to visit for a while,” he says. He and his family do not do anything specific for Christmas, but he has a tradition where every year he will go with his friends to a Catholic church where they will have a New Testament and Old Testament reading, followed by a short lecture on the meaning of the verses, and then they receive communion and pray together. Although he is no longer Catholic, it is a tradition for him to do this service with his friends every year. He views this holiday time as a gift from God to spend time with loved ones and focus on improving himself spiritually and physically.

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Aarav Gandhi

Aarav Gandhi is a junior at Washington High School and is a very hard working student. He works a part time job, goes to the gym, is taking 4 AP classes, and is an active member of DECA. This winter break, he is going to spend the entirety of it in India. “It’s been more than a decade since I’ve seen some of my family, so I’m really excited to go,” he says. He is hoping to visit family and explore more of India with them because he has not been there for over a decade. As an active member of DECA, he also wants to practice for the NorCal event that takes place just a couple days after winter break. For this year, Aarav is doing his roleplay and test event in the hospitality field, and his uncle is a hotel manager in India, so he also hopes to work with his uncle and polish his roleplay and test taking skills. However, he isn’t particularly fond of the cold weather, especially when it is raining because it makes it hard to leave the house sometimes. Aarav enjoys taking photos and capturing things in the moment. He plans on visiting many attractions, including the Taj Mahal, Red Fort, and the City Palace. One thing he is excited and scared about is the cuisine over there. He wants to try more traditional dishes like butter chicken and biryani, but he is also scared of getting food poisoning because of the videos circulating on social media on Indian street food. He really wants to make this trip memorable, because he may not see his family in India for a long time and also wants to visit all the attractions that he can with his family.

Isha Kannan

Isha Kannan is currently a junior at Washington High School. She was born in Santa Clara, but has been living in Fremont since she was four. This is her second year working on The Hatchet and she currently holds the role of Opinions Editor. In the past, she has covered a variety of different topics such as health, new years resolutions, school programs, and more. She is excited to help new journalists with their writing and article ideas! Beyond writing, Isha loves going to debate tournaments, reading classic novels like Jane Eyre, parasailing, and practicing calligraphy. She is also one of Washington’s three SURFBoardE student representatives. In the future she hopes to go to university!

Kothai Pillai

Kothai Pillai is a senior at Washington High School. She was born in Mountain View and has lived in the Bay Area all her life. This is her first year being a part of The Hatchet, and is excited to cover news in the local community. She enjoys trying different foods, traveling, exploring new cities with her friends,reading, going on nature walks with her labradoodle, as well as going to concerts. In the future she hopes to attend a college in California or on the East Coast majoring in politcal science and philosphy

Muhammad Afzal

Muhammad Afzal is a current junior at Washington High School. He was born in Pakistan and moved to Fremont at the age of 7, and has lived here ever since. This is his first year at the Hatchet where he hopes to learn how to effectively conduct interviews and explore different writing styles. He is also a part of WHS DECA and Debate. Outside of school oriented things, the things he enjoys doing the most are spending time with family and friends, going out, spending time with animals (mostly cats), exploring nature, and sleeping. He hopes to attend a Top 5 UC school but is not fully sure about what he wants to major in.

King Rivera

King Rivera is a senior at Washington High school. Originally from the Philippines, King moved to San Mateo at a young age, and has been living in Fremont CA since 2024. This is King’s first year on the paper. He’s interested in writing about sports and nature. His favorite ways to pass the time are reading, playing games, hanging out with friends and exploring nature. In the future he plans on joining the Air Force with the goal of flying fighter jets.