Aromas of sweet hot chocolate with tiny marshmallows, pine from wreaths and that distinct smell of the cold and gingerbread cookies, engulf the decorated living room. Snow slowly falls as voices of little kids meticulously crafting snowmen and snow angels are heard in the distance. Seated on the couch with a blanket draped over, you anxiously wait for the holiday festivities to begin. While the winter holidays can often be picture-perfect with smiling faces and continuous laughter,  a big or small inconvenience can quickly ruin the experience. 

Horrors

Visiting family or family visiting can often be surrounded by unavoidable, bothersome stress, chaos or annoyance, many times because of the controversial cousin or yappy uncle. “I was driving to Michigan and it usually takes 7 hours but this time it took 17 hours because of this huge snow storm, and there was a lot of fighting and stress [because] everyone was really tired,” senior Ava Redmond said.

Traveling during the holidays comes with its own unique horrors. From panic caused by driving on icy roads to simply having to endure family in a tight space for many hours at once, these endeavors to faraway places can be enough to completely ruin the weekend. 

“I once got stuck driving to Canada during a huge blizzard and we had to spend the night with a random old couple, and that kind of ruined that Christmas for me because being stuck with random strangers on Christmas day and not being with my family in Canada, opening presents and having fun, just upset me,” junior Ella Schaefer-Fortier said. 

  Additionally, sometimes a simple accident can stir the pot during the holidays.

 “On Christmas, me and my cousin were play fighting and her tooth fell out and lodged into my head. I mean looking back on it, it’s just a funny joke, but at the time, it was very serious,” sophomore Madeline Manukyan said.

With the arrival of distant relatives to form one large chaotic family, unnecessarily heated discussions or even fights can break out, whether it be over politics or simply who should win the Superbowl.

 “For the holidays, all my siblings come home and we have kind of clashing personalities so there’s been a couple of times where my mom or my sister or my brother said something and it just ruined the day,” junior Holly Siegel said. 

Joys

No matter the cause of these breakouts and chaos, it’s important to remember the true message of the holidays: to reunite with family and friends. These gatherings create cherished memories, neverending inside jokes and guaranteed delicious food.

Many kids wait anxiously to finally uncover the star of the holidays: their presents. Sitting with their family and madly ripping apart the wrapping paper induces feelings that last forever. 

“One time when I was seven, I got a karaoke machine after asking for it for like a really long time. So my parents gave it to me and I sang my heart out to Demi Lovato for the next three weeks and it’s one of my favorite childhood memories,” Schaefer-Fortier said. 

With a couple of deep breaths and even some meditating, visits from extended family can yield sweet moments, especially when such visits are rare. “So my grandparents surprised us by coming for Christmas from Ethiopia and they stayed for a couple of weeks. It was their first time coming here and we hadn’t seen them for a couple of years and we took them shopping,” sophomore Bereket Genetu said. 

Whichever way you celebrate these winter holidays, make sure to remember the true goal of the holidays: to enjoy the neverending holiday desserts with family and friends.