Staff and students prepare for their family Christmas traditions with the approaching holiday.

Italian teacher Concetta DiGeronimo hosts Christmas at her house. “Our big celebration is on Christmas Eve with my extended family, and Christmas day is with my husband and kids,” she said.

Kristy Palmeri-Elias, a biology and biomedical teacher, celebrates Christmas with her husband and two kids as well as their parents and siblings. “[I enjoy] being with my family and watching my kids experience the magic of Christmas,” said Palermi.

Palmeri has an eventful Christmas with her family. She said, “We wake up in our matching jammies and open Christmas presents, and attend Christmas day mass.”

DiGeronimo says her kids eagerly wake her up early on Christmas morning. She said, “Then we just hang out, have more good food, and FaceTime our family in Italy.”

Sophomore Gianna Condelli enjoys waking up on Christmas day and seeing all the decorations. She said, “I wake up and open gifts with my family, then we usually visit other family members’ houses and then wrap the day up with a Christmas movie.”

Henry Tran, a junior, especially enjoys a relaxing Christmas morning. He said, “[I] probably sleep in longer and would go on a morning jog around my neighborhood. Throughout the day, I would eat some cookies and have some hot chocolate, then at the end of the day, we’ll feast.”

Condelli does a variety of traditions during Christmas time. She said, “We usually do activities like white elephant gifts or a saran wrap ball with prizes inside. The cousins have a huge competition.”

Tran and his family prepare lots of Vietnamese food, sing karaoke, and play other games as well. He said, “There is this Vietnamese horse board game that we play, and we would bet money against each other.”

The DiGeronimo family celebrates several traditions together including different food varieties. “We go to mass all together, then we go back to our house for gifts and a very long meal that lasts several hours. We do not eat meat on Christmas Eve, so the menu has a lot of seafood dishes,” she said.

Palmeri enjoys decorating her house with her family and even enjoys baking cookies with her daughter. She said, “[I] attend Christmas events like Breakfast with Santa, Deck the Halls at Stan Hywett, Christmas on the farm, and zoo lights.”

DiGeronimo says this Christmas is extra special. She said, “We have family from Italy staying with us for the first time for Christmas. We’re excited! Buon Natale [Merry Christmas]!”