The holiday season is here, meaning all of the traditional festivities, shopping, and decorating are coming about. Although there are classic holiday traditions, whether it be visiting family, setting up the tree, lighting the candles, having a feast, and much more, everyone celebrates in their own unique way.  Two of the most popular common holidays celebrated by New Providence families are Hanukkah and Christmas. 

During the month of December, Christmas always occurs on the 25th, while the 8 days of Hanukkah are different every year because it falls on the 25th day of Kislev. This year, it was between November 28th to December 6th. 

According to bhg.com, Hanukkah is a historical holiday. It remembers the successful rebellion of the Maccabees, a group of Jewish freedom fighters. To honor the Maccabees, every night of Hanukkah a candle is lit on the menorah.

Gabby Glaser, a 10th grader said: “My family and I always light the menorah each night and add a candle. We also always give each other a gift each night to celebrate.”

Even though it may seem like Christmas has more decorating involved, there are some Hanukkah decorations that spread the festivity.  

“Some years we have little decorations up and others we have lots. We put up Hanukkah bears and a fake lit up menorah,” said Glaser. 

There are many well-known and basic ways to celebrate Hanukkah, but there are also some distinct traditions some families might celebrate.

“Some years we like to play games like spin the dreidel, and eat Hanukkah gelt which is chocolate made specifically for the holiday” said Glaser. 

History.com  states that Christmas is celebrated on December 25th as an anniversary of the birth of Jesus, a spiritual leader. Popular customs of this holiday include exchanging gifts, decorating trees, attending church, having a feast with family or friends, and waiting for Santa. 

For some families, putting up the decorations and setting up the tree is one of the best holiday traditions to celebrate. 

Some people believe there is no problem decorating or getting a Christmas tree before Thanksgiving, but for others it’s way too early to pull out the lights and ornaments before the month of December. 

“Our rule is not until after Thanksgiving. […] Normally we like to do one holiday to the next,” said Mr. Arnold, a history teacher at NPHS. 

“We always make sure everyone is able to decorate our tree. We just think that’s very important. We try to find a night where we can all do it together,”  said Kayleigh Wilson, a junior at NPHS.

The morning of Christmas looks different for everyone. The preparation for this day has finally come, and everyone is excited for giving or receiving presents, going to church, and celebrating with loved ones. 

“My family and I do a lot of the normal stuff. We visit family and exchange gifts. My wife likes to open one gift the night before, because she doesn’t like surprises. We’ve kind of made that our own little tradition,” said Arnold. 

When asked what a usual Christmas morning looks like, Wilson said: “My brother and I wake up really excited for presents. But my parents just won’t get out of bed. Then we all open our presents under the tree and go to our stockings. After that, my grandma usually comes over and we have bagels, then we all head over to my aunt’s house.” 

Although there are many great aspects to the holiday season, Spending time with family is one of the most important parts of the holiday season no matter what or how you celebrate.