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Editor’s note: In this Future View, students discuss the holiday season. Next week we’ll ask, “What changes do you expect in 2023? What lessons were learned in 2022? Will the new year be better or worse than the past few years have been?” Students should click here to submit opinions of fewer than 250 words before Dec. 27. The best responses will be published that night. Click here to submit a video to our Future View Snapchat show.

Christmas on Skis

Coming home for the Christmas holidays has always meant long sunny days on the ski slopes with family and friends. Growing up in one of the snowiest cities in Pennsylvania, I know that dedicated skiers get up early enough to make the first tracks on the mountain, getting the best conditions of the day.

Each year, as my own special tradition, I find a quiet place in the woods where no one will find me, pop off my skis, and listen to the sound of silence. No matter what you’re celebrating, take a small moment to appreciate what you love this season.

—Noah Bongiovanni, University of Notre Dame, piano and pre-health studies

Family Is the Source of Joy

The holidays are a time for reflection—to embrace the future while learning from the past. Were there instances when I treated myself or others poorly this year? Were there moments I cherished this year that I can re-create and improve next year? And how have I strengthened my unique individual qualities and identity? Doing this as a family is especially powerful. Not only are we vulnerable together, but we keep each other accountable.

Community, family, friends and classmates are all sources of joy, especially when we observe how well everyone treats each other during the holiday season. It’s easy for these displays of humanity—whether doing the dishes when it’s not your turn, ordering food delivery for the driver who would deliver it, or telling classmates they are appreciated and accepted—to continue beyond the holidays.

—Aman Majmudar, the University of Chicago, law, letters and society

Remembering the American Dream

The Feast of the Seven Fishes is a tradition in my Italian-American family, which came to America when my great-grandma Antonia and her husband, Achille, immigrated. Celebrated on Christmas Eve, the feast involves preparing seven fish dishes. My Catholic family wouldn’t eat meat on Christmas Eve, as a sacrifice in preparation for Jesus’ birth. We continue the tradition not only in that spirit but also in remembrance of great-grandma Antonia.

My family prospers because of the sacrifices my great-grandma made so we could realize the American Dream. As I think of those sacrifices, I am filled with gratitude and joy. As my family prepares to celebrate the Feast of the Seven Fishes this year, all I can think of is one day passing on this tradition and the stories of great-grandma Antonia to my children.

—Gabriella De La Torre, Franciscan University of Steubenville, English

It Only Matters Who You’re With

Gratitude is the lasting theme of my family’s celebration of the holidays, especially in periods of uncertainty. As the New Year approaches, we set aside time to reflect and interact with loved ones—collecting a list of “glows” to cherish and “grows” to improve on. And during our celebrations, I now take more joy in sharing the experience with others than I do in the activity itself. When we sing karaoke, for example, my singing the lyrics I love comes second to hearing the voices of friends and family. For us, the holidays aren’t merely about where or how, but also with whom we celebrate.

—Russell Li, Harvard University, mathematics and economics

A Few Minutes of Peace

I come from a family of four children, and we often bickered, as brothers and sisters do. When we were all on break for the holidays, with no school to provide some relief for my parents, things in our house could get quite loud. Getting us all together in a room wasn’t a quiet affair. Still, the night of Christmas Eve, there would always be at least 15 minutes of calm as my siblings and I piled onto the bed with my dad, and he would read us “A Visit From St. Nicholas.” Though we are all now in college or grad school, every Christmas Eve we still insist our dad read us the story. I always look forward to the few minutes of peace and joy that this tradition brings.

—Alexandra Rich, Quinnipiac University, medicine

The Family Elf

Christmas was the only occasion when my family—dispersed across six states—all return to my grandparents’ house in our native Colorado. Seasonal music tiptoed through the home. An oversized CU Boulder stuffed-animal mascot, dressed in Christmas clothes, claimed the atrium. A lit tree decorated with petrified pinecone ornaments sheltered a pile of gifts, overflowing from under its branches.

At the head of the Christmas dinner table, stretched almost to breaking by the inserted wooden leaves, my grandfather would say grace, thankful for the food on the table and the safe travels of those around it. Each year he was happier, seated across from my grandmother and seeing their family grow larger. The gifts would be distributed by the family member designated our official “Elf.” I have held that title honorably for more than 20 years.

The setting has changed now that my grandparents have passed away. Eventually, I will pass along the title of Elf. But Christmas still provides us stability and joy, a time for the family to gather and celebrate.

—Matthew Phillips, North Carolina State University, aerospace engineering, Ph.D.

Christmas Brings Out the Best in Us

Our German Catholic family celebrates several traditions during the Advent and Christmas seasons. On the first Sunday of Advent, we always decorate our home to share the Christmas spirit with all who visit. On Dec. 6, we clean our shoes and set them outside our front doorway so St. Nicholas can fill them with goodies. On Christmas Eve, we sing German carols as we anticipate the birth of Jesus the next morning. On Christmas morning, we attend Mass to rejoice in the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ. On Jan. 6, the Feast of the Epiphany, we commemorate the Magi bringing gifts to Jesus by attending a feast-day celebration at our church.

This holiday season, I rejoice for the millions of Americans I know are doing their best to serve the poor and share the Christmas spirit with people down on their luck. I appreciate all the American families who have lifted up their communities by opening their doors to strangers, visiting a lonely relative or supporting a local charity. I love the holiday season because it brings about the best in all of us and illustrates what we all have in common: a willingness to use our time, talents and resources to serve.

—Mark Habelt, Arizona State University, political science

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