Many often say that the holiday season does not feel the same as before. Growing up, the magic of the holidays seemed to fill the air and festive decorations would be at every corner. Eagerly counting down the days until Christmas or guessing the presents under the tree would create a sense of excitement that seemed unshakeable. As responsibilities increase, however, the Christmas tree no longer towers over, New Year’s Day seems typical and even the snow no longer falls. Despite these changes, holiday traditions — recurring customs performed during festive seasons such as Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukkah or New Year’s — are a great way to reinvigorate festive spirits. At Boston Latin School, teachers shared their own cherished holiday traditions and how they keep the spirit of the season alive in their homes. Their customs and traditions, such as decorating the tree, lighting holiday candles or making a warm meal together, reflect the same warmth and connectedness that many of us yearn for at this time of year. These traditions serve as a reminder to us that the holiday magic never goes away, it just takes on new forms.
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Ms. Katherine Archer: “One of my favorite holiday traditions has always been our Christmas morning breakfast. When my mom was growing up with her siblings, her dad would always make what we call pizza fritte, but I think the proper Italian is pizzette fritte. It is basically small pieces of fried pizza dough, and it’s absolutely delicious. So when my siblings and I were growing up, we made it every Christmas, and one of the best parts is that because it’s dough, you can make it into any shape you want. We’d take turns using different cookie cutters to shape the dough into Christmas trees, angels, bells, our initials and whatever else we could think of. My oldest brother now has four kids, so when we get together for Christmas, we still eat pizza fritte, and my niece and nephews join us in making it. I love knowing generations of my family have been making and enjoying the same Christmas breakfast and that it’s still being passed on to the next.”
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Ms. Lynn Burke: “When my sisters and I were very young, we woke up every Christmas morning to find presents under the tree, which we quickly bypassed to search for the ‘first note.’ Each year, Santa would leave a note that gave us a clue to where our stockings were hidden ‘with care’ as the old poem goes, a twist that made sense to three little girls with no chimney in their triple decker. When we figured out the first location, we would find another note with a clue to the next spot. Our Christmas treasure hunt eventually led us to our stockings, which were filled with presents long forgotten now. What I remember is the true ‘care’ our Santa — our dad — showed when he created a tradition of magic more important than any gift.”
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Mr. Nicholas Fogel: “I’m Jewish, but I was actually named after Santa Claus. I was born in December, and my brother, who is four years older, was really excited for Christmas, so he suggested the name Nick. We celebrate both Hanukkah and Christmas since my Mom grew up Christian and converted to Judaism later in life. I love the communal elements of Christmas — holiday walks, singing carols and going to events like the Boston Common tree lighting. I also love cooking latkes and lighting the Menorah every night. I’m not overly religious, but celebrating the traditions of Hanukkah helps connect me to my heritage and ancestors.”
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Mr. Aaron Osowiecki: “My favorite holiday tradition would have to be a turkey soup Friday. In my family, we have Thanksgiving, and when my mom was around, we would always take the carcass and make a turkey soup out of it, then all get together the next day for [the] soup. And now my brothers and I are doing that.”
