Cake pops and candy grams were hand delivered to classrooms. Students decorated doors with this year’s Rudolph theme. The Music department held their annual winter concert.

All these things and more indicate that the students and staff of ERHS are winding down for winter break.

As everyone prepares to celebrate with their family and friends in their own special way, it is important to remember that the holiday season is a time of celebration for people of many different cultures.

A lot of students celebrate Christmas, like sophomore Maeve Baker, who spends the holiday at home with her family and making gingerbread houses with her friends, then tops off the break with a New Years party.

Other students, like senior Sarah Tayel, do not believe in a religion that formally celebrates a holiday during this time of year. Tayel, however, still deems the holiday season “one of my favorite times of the year.” “Even though we don’t celebrate Christmas, we still give gifts,” Tayel explained. “Even at school we still wear Santa hats.”

Junior Pearl Nissen celebrates Hanukkah, so unlike those who celebrate Christmas, her favorite part of the holiday is “eight nights of presents.” A holiday tradition of her family is to eat Chinese food on Christmas “because nothing else is open,” she said with a grin.

It is even common for households to have a mixture of cultures, like that of junior Billy Rosenberg. His mother is Catholic and his father is Jewish, making for a celebration of Hanukkah and Christmas rolled into one. “We always go to my grandparent’s and have dinner” Rosenberg said.