December is a very festive time of year with people getting ready to celebrate their favorite traditions with family and friends. From giving gifts to enjoying food, here is how some Long Beach State students celebrate the holiday season.
McKenna Blank, a first-year studio art major, is going home for the holidays in Texas.
“Every year me, my mom, my mom’s best friend and my best friend all decorate cookies and play Christmas music. That’s probably my favorite thing,” Blank said.
Blank said that her mom already decorated their house and she always has the house smelling like peppermint and pine.
Brooke Whann, a third-year studio art major, said that her family exchanges gifts and has dinner together. However, she also has another tradition that involves making decorations.
“My aunt, she does glass, so every year she hosts this thing where we all make glass ornaments and write our names,” Whann said. “Every year we make another design, another ornament and then we have a bunch of things for the tree.”
Makoto Kishi is an applied math major in his first year of graduate school. Kishi said that due to lack of time, money and family, he does not participate in any traditions.
“I have no life,” Kishi said. “All I do is study all day 24/7, it’s gonna be a struggle.”
Kishi said that any holiday festivities he does celebrate are celebrated with his partner.
“I’ll be taking her to dinner,” Kishi said. “That’s on budget so I can’t really take her to a fancy place, you know, because school takes up a lot of time.”
Raul Granados, a second-year construction management major, said that he enjoys seeing Christmas lights in Wilmington and Torrance. He also looks forward to participating in Secret Santa with his family.
“We do Secret Santa within the family for the six of us,” Granados said. “So, we all end up with one big gift that’s like $200.”
Andrea Escobedo, a fourth-year speech pathology major, said that her favorite holiday tradition is making tamales with her family.
“I think helping my family prepare, making food with them and just bonding together is what I enjoy most during the holidays,” Escobedo said.