Christmas is a big time for traditions whether it be traditions with family, traditions with friends, or traditions by yourself. This year, those traditions can be different than previous years due to Covid-19. Students at FHS have expressed disappointment as well as relief about how their traditions have been impacted by COVID.

“My friends and I usually go over to someone’s house and bake cookies and decorate them. We also do like a little secret santa between us” sophomore Morgan Betts said.

Betts says that her as well as her friends have had this tradition for four years and look forward to it every year. She was hoping that they would not have needed to change it but sadly, they had to.

“We still are doing the secret santa but on Christmas Eve Eve we are just going to go around to each other’s houses and drop off presents. That way we are still having a little bit of normalcy but also staying safe” Betts said.

She is really sad about not being able to get together with her friends and being able to hang out but is glad that they were able to find a solution that is still fun.

“Most of my family lives in Virginia so my family that lives here usually goes out to Virginia and spends a good week there with everyone” senior Alauna Stults said.

Alauna talks about how everyone stays at her grandparents house and then goes to a bunch of museums and local shops that she enjoys. She says that most people in her family really like Christmas just for the fact that they all get to see each other and hang out.

“Since my grandparents are older, we didn’t really want to go over there and possibly expose them but we still want to see them so I think we are still going to Virginia but we are staying at a hotel. I think that we are still going to have a quick Christmas at my grandparents house, though” Stults said.

Stults says that the quick Christmas at her grandparents house will be done as safely as possible by using masks and social distancing. Most people in Alauna’s family are trying to be safe but are really disappointed that they are not all staying together.

“My dad has tried making light of the situation by saying stuff about not having to deal with some of the family drama because of not being around everyone 24/7” Stults said.

She is sure that everyone in her family is happy about there not being as much family drama because there can be a lot when there are that many people together for a week. Alauna says that this is most likely the only positive thing to come from the change due to COVID.
“Every Christmas, my family comes over and we open presents, eat lunch, and watch some movies. My mom is pretty high risk so she really doesn’t want people coming over but I’m actually happy with that” sophomore Carter Riedel said.

Riedel says he knows it’s bad to say but he is excited to not have a bunch of people over at his house because it is stressful. Before his family comes over, his mom puts a lot of stress on him to clean the house and it can be stressful for him.

“Honestly, I would be happy with something like what my mom is doing this year for every year. She is just having everyone jump onto a Zoom call so that we can still talk but there is like no preparation involved such as cleaning or cooking or whatever that I would usually have to do” Riedel said.

Many people’s Christmas traditions look different this year than they have usually looked and students at FHS have mixed opinions about the differences.

“Ultimately, I think that this year has been a not-so-great year for a lot of people and the changes might be just what people need to recoup before the New Year” Alauna Stults said.