HOLIDAY HANDBOOK
The month of December heralds a time of celebrations and ceremonies across the globe. As we rejoice together in many ways, so too are there differences — some celebrate Christmas, some the Solstice, some Hanukkah. And in each of our families, distinct traditions develop that are passed down from one generation to the next.
Moonshine Ink asked local school children to share their ‘Favorite Family Tradition.’ Read on…
Note: The children’s words are published as they were written, in English or Spanish, complete with misspelled words and no punctuation. We enjoyed reading them just as they were and hope you do, too.
Incline Elementary School
We put 3 babys. We have to kiss the babys and we get a candy it is fun.
~ Emilia Cortez, 8
Kings Beach Elementary
To open one present each on Christmas Eve and to go skiing on Christmas.
~ Luca P. Robillard, 8
Going to Lopez Island every year. My favorite thing is the san cliffs, you jump off a sand cliff on to a pile of sand.
~ Cooper Honeywell, 8
Christmas Becase most of my family come to my Gramas hause and eat. Also it’s near my Birthday.
~ James, 8
I like Chrismas because I have a fun time oping my presens, poding my Chrimas tree and wondoring that santa is there.
~ Chloe, 8
Ir a la casa de reyna a tomar chocolate caliente. Tambi’n gugoimos con el perro.
~ Eome Vera, 8
Christmas because Santa clause comes to my house in his sleed. When he comes to my house he eats all of my treats I give him.
~ Luke Gardner, 8
I always get a Christmas tree on December 2nd. I decorate it on the 3rd.
~ Lola, 8
La Navidad yo y mi familia comemos y Jespues agaramos los rega los y mi mama agara los regalos lela unregalo a todos y disemos grasias.
~ Lizbeth, 9
Navidad. Es una tradici’n muy bivertida tus ijos levanagustar. A m: me gusta por qu’ me dan muchos regalos. C’i at; por qu’ te gusta?
~ Amy, 9
Christmas beucas I love to play in the snow and go skiing. I love to make worm coocis and make lots of brones.
~ Kate, 9
Christmas because my friends come to my house and I get lots of pesents.
~ Devon, 8
Mavidad porqu’ santa viene de la chimenea y tambi’n porqu’ nos deja. regalos abajo del arbol navide’o
~ Joselyn, 8
Wy I like Christmas is because you have family members come up and you get presents.
~ Kili, 8
Navidad Mi familia y yo siempre celebramos navidad. Porque decoramos nuestro ‘rbol de navidad. Mis hermanos y yo hacemos botas de Santa Clous.
~ Mariana, 7
Going out and getting the Christmas tree. Then we come home and drink hot chocolate and eat cookies.
~ Stefan, 9
Christmas I pick out the tree and put the oarnaments.
~ Summer, 8
I like Christmas becus I go over to my ant and uncle hous and it is Jesus berthday. Chrsmas is a great holiday.
~ Nathan, 9
Navidad Me gusta navidad Porque te train regalos y te train jugetey dulses.
~ Jesus, 8
Christmas because you get candy. Also you get alot of presents from santa. Also you get to visit my grandparants.
~ Seth, 8
New Year because it’s the day after my birthday and you get to wach fireworks also because it is the last day of the year!
~ Sol, 8
On Christmas my aunt and uncle coms over and we play lots of games and have fun! At 11:00 at night me and my brother go down stears and look at the presents.
~ Alani Powell, 8
Navida porque yo y mi familia le de jamos una soda y galleta con un vaso de leche. Santa clos tiene a benados.
~ Claudia, 9
Christmas because we get to go selebrate at a fun place where we go every year to see Santa Clause at the Ice Sckating Rink in Northstar. And we mostly go there every year.
~ Lily, 8
On christmas my family alwas put’s up are christmas tre on December 3red. We love christmas so much.
~ Linzy Johnson
Christmas because it is my dad’s birthday and I get to see my hole family. We have fander and get presents from Santa Claus and my family. When we wake up we wake our perents up and go downstairs and after that play with the toy’s and go outside.
~ Logan Phillips, 9
Navidad porav’ santa se viene por la chiminella y nos dega regalos en el arbol de navidad.
~ Osvaldo, 8
Nabidad porge tenemos regalos y viene can taclos.
~ Jorge, 9
Creekside Cooperative Charter School
Christmas, because I love to go to my uncles and open up presents after a yummy christmas meal, and I love waking up early and screaming ‘Its christmas, its christmas’.
~ Grace, 8
To have my family over with me every Christmas.
~ Amaya Correa, 9
My family is upstairs opening presents. My dad is sleeping in bed. I am shaking my dad and screaming ‘Wake up get out of bed!’ And my mom has to drink her coffe before any body opens presents.
~ Carly, 8
On Christmas eve we eat a special soup that is made with ham, kliebasa and sauerkraut. Then I put on my specials pjs and go to sleep.
~ Daniela Christian, 7
Christmas, because you get presents and the family get together and celabrates. When you get games you can play them with your family.
~ Jayda Walsh, 9
To invite our friends and family to have an amazing Christmas dinner. We eat our ginger bread house as they arrive. My family tradition is fun.
~ Delila Quinn, 8
We go to see all the christmas lights in vacaville and go to candy can lane.
~ Ayden, 8
We get new Pjs on Christmas Eve and they are so cozy!
~ Dahlia Brown, 8
Sierra Expeditionary Learning School
My favorite family tradition is Hanukkah because you get to go sledding while it is day time. We go inside when it gets dark and we get to drink hot chocolate or hot pudding that is chocolete. After we drink are hot chocolate or hot pudding we get to play electronics. Once we were dune with electronics we get to open 2 presents. There is 8 days of hanukkah that is why hanukkah is so good.
~ Riley Thompson, 8
My mom gives me one more present to me if I’m nice to my sister, dad, and my mom.
~ Anthony Mora, 7
Opening presents on Christmas and sleeding down a big hill.
~ Carlos Cervantes, 8
Walk up the street and come to the hosue and unwrapping the prsents on Chritmas eve.
~ Marrin Gomez, 8
When I leave the pickle ornament on the table and Santa Claus comes and hides it on the Christmas tree.
~ Jordan Whitlow, 8
Getting up early and opening one present on cristmas morning.
~ Cora Benty, 8
On christmas eve I must wait till every one is awake then I open one present.
~ Louise Ziegler, 8
When my family goes sleading and then make a family of snow peolpe and come inside to bake cookies and drink hot coco.
~ Jade Ballock, 8
Going to visit my grandma in New Jersey. We do it at Thankgiving. My family does something fun like going to a Broadway play. My brothers and I always ask for dessert each night. We go to the airport.
~ Cole Thompson, 8
How I celebrate Christmas is we decorate the Chistmas tree and we open presents. Finally we drink hot chocolate and have fun.
~ Xabi Arriaga, 9
On Christmas I wake up evry one so I go open my present.
~ Alondra
Lopez-Sanchez, 7
Every year on Christmas morning I wake my brother, sister, mom and dad and then we rush down stairs and open all of our presents before breakfast. Then we eat pancakes.
~ Isabella Gallagher, 7
Every christmas once my parents are downstairs we open one present before breakfast and after we get to open all of the presents!
~ Macy Cherneff, 7
Going to see the Christmas lights and then having hot cocoa, opening presents and reading a Christmas story.
~ Lucy Demm, 7
My family tradition is that on Christmas eve me my Mom and Dad go to the forest a cut down a tree for putting ornaments on. It is very fun to do.
~ Calvin Kahlich, 7
Every season when it is chrismas. My family goes sleding down the tahoe sled hill next to the pool. Then we go to our house and watch tv. After lunch we open all the presents and sit by the fire.
~ Jack Cook, 7
On Christmas eve I open pajamas and then we wear them to bed.
~ Abby Stein, 8
Every year on Christmas morning befor we can go into the living room, me and my sister has to go to my mom and dads room because we have to open the frist present with everyone in the room.
~ Maia McDermott, 7
Donner Trail Elementary
When I come down stairs before my parent’s so I can open my present’s first and sneek a coockie in the coverd.
~ Marc, 7
When I come down stairs and jump and slide under the tree. I rip all my presents open. In one of them is a Wii game I just start playing.
~ Ashlee Blair, 7
Chrimas because on chrimas I olwase wake up and I se deer tracks in the snow because befor we go to bed I poot out deer food and sumtimes I sneek up stars and I see santa pooting presens under the tree and our stokings.
~ Braidon Klovstad, 7
Christmas. I like Christmas because in the morning I like to see presents under the tree.
~ Cody, 7
Winter because mi and my brother like the presents and we get to get noow toys to play with.
~ Clara, 7
khristmas because…we dont have to go to school.
~ Daniel, 7
christmas it’s really fun. And it is coming op nesxt.
~ Callie, 7
For my family tradition on Christmas my and my brother Hudson always take turns decoreating the Christmas tree. Last time my brother did it and did it with lites. But some time me and my mom do it. It is fun.
~ Tatum Verbeck, 7
I love when we get to eat cookes. And all the presents he gives out. A tradition we do is take pitshers every year and we have a pitsher book!
~ Ella, 7
Christmas. We go to bed at 8:00 then we wake up at 6:00 and then we get up get our close on then we open presentes.
~ Rhys, 8
Since I was 2 we always built a ginger bread house. Ever morning some parts are gone. That means Santa ate some!
~ Carly, 8 1/2
When Santa comes and gives me presents every year. Then I open my presents. Chrismas is fun.
~ Brooke Hansford, 8
Chrstmas is a fun holoday. We get presnts and we go to snowboard.
~ Zac, 8
That every year I go to my gramas I help her make the name tags and then we have a chris mas party. And I help make popoversers and get pj.
~ Alexa Rain Kroencke, 8
Christmas holoday when santa comes and eat’s milk and cok’s.
~ Robert, 8
When Santa comes and then in the morning my brother wake up me and we wake up are mom and dad and they get the camra and we open are presents.
~ Sami Olsen, 8
Waking up my whole family. I yell in my mom and dad’s room I do the same with my brother. I’f they egnore me I lay on the bed where they sleep. It’s my fun tradition!
~ Emma, 8
Every Christmas Eve my brother and I get up to open 1 present. Every year my grandma picks it out. She always picks the one with pajamas in it. I know it is pajamas because it is pajamas every year it is. I look forward to it next year!
~ Isabelle Salmon, 8
Where Santa comes to your house and puts presents near your Cristmas tree. And goods in your stocking. You also put cookies and milk on a table. We also open one present before the night. Every other Cristmas my cousins come up for Cristmas.
~ Makena, 8
When it is christmastime and my family gets up at the time it is fun because you know kids they always want to get up when the hoilidays come. And that’s my favorite family tridition!
~ Alia, 8
When Santa comes and gives me presents. Because I get to my granparent’s and get to hang my stocking up and be suprized in the morning! I get to open one present every christmas eave wich is p.j’s. I love to decorating the tree and when I wake up I will see presents under it!
~ Amelia, 8
When we always go to my grandma’s house. We meet up whith all are cousins and open presents. After we open presents we play with them and play with each other.
~ Hope, 8
During the Hannukah season. Hannukah is where you celebrate 8 day’s and you get a present each night. And that’s muy famliy tradition!
~ Kaelin Woodruff, 8
Glenshire Elementary
Making fudge at Christmas every year. My family has made it for four generations.
~ Jasmine Wood, 8
Nabidad Siempre decoramos Juntas La casa y en noche Buena senamos Juntos. Y abrimos Los regalos al dia sigiente.
~ Laura, 8
