Alyssa Ottema:
My favourite thing to do over the holidays is knit. I never have the time when I’m in classes and working, so I love to take advantage of the extra time over the break. Knitting really keeps me relaxed, which is necessary when I’m making my way between several stressful holiday parties and family obligations.
Emily Jones:
Over the holidays I enjoy spending time with loved ones, and seeing friends I don’t often get to see. This year, I get to see a couple of friends who have been away in other countries for years – they are family to me, and I can’t wait to see them. I also love getting presents ready for people – wrapping is one of my all time favourite holiday activities (besides cooking, of course!) This seems to have been a year of new beginnings for my partner and I – graduating from school, completing programs, getting new jobs, moving into an apartment together – I can’t wait to decorate our first real tree together!
Carly Jenkins:
For me, the holidays are never the same twice, which I love and this year’s journey south to Mexico is no exception. I do love a good traditional week of eggnog and snowball fights, but I’ve also loved the years I’ve spent in tents on beaches, eating lobster at midnight in ice storms, or having a traditional Aussie holiday of barbecues and backyard cricket. Probably the only tradition my family has is our lack of tradition, at one point we did attempt to adopt a traditional Festivus celebration… but it only happened that one time.
Matthew Azevedo:
My favourite holiday moments are always spent with family and friends, enjoying good company, food, and plenty of laughs. Some winters, our family spends a few days at our cottage. With no running water, at least a few feet of snow over hilly terrain, and a nearby frozen lake, there’s always something exciting and somewhat dangerous to do.
Danielle Subject:
I’m a sucker for holiday traditions, and I look forward to going home and indulging in every Christmas movie imaginable. There’s nothing like watching It’s A Wonderful Life or Home Alone by the light of a warm fire with my snuggly golden retriever at my feet. Putting up the Christmas tree is another activity I look forward to. Our boxes of decorations are like time capsules, and going through them every year is a nostalgic adventure that my mom and I get to share together. Finally, my mom and I have had an ongoing tradition of seeing The Nutcracker ballet for years, and this year is no exception. For me, Christmas is a time for creating new memories, remembering old ones, and spending quality time with loved ones.
Emilio Ghloum:
The holidays always make me so joyful. It’s a time of the year where most people are unusually happy, kind, and respectful (as long as you avoid shopping). I enjoy spending time with my family more than anything else over the holidays. Roasting chestnuts, watching Christmas movies, and eating an abundance of different holiday desserts never fails to bring my family together.
Stephanie Coratti:
The holiday season means a couple of things for me. For one, I always joke about how I count down to the World Junior Hockey Championship (set to begin on Dec. 26 every year), while everyone else is counting down to Christmas day — those who know me, by the way, know I’m not actually kidding. Some of my favourite memories over the holidays have included family and friends huddled around the TV watching Team Canada. This year, the tournament is taking place in Montreal and Toronto, and I couldn’t be more excited to attend the games with my best friend who I rarely get to see during the rest of the year.
Sameer Chhabra:
The best apart about the holidays, for me at least, has always been the festive atmosphere. For a single month, beginning in December and ending on Jan. 1, everything everywhere radiates this weird, warm, welcoming, gingerbread-scented mood. I love the small things that we associate with the holidays – I love the Christmas specials, I love the Coke commercials, and I love the Christmas music. I suppose when it comes down to it, my favourite part about celebrating the holidays is getting to be a part of something that makes so many people happy – something that brings people together.
Adrien Potvin:
My not-much-younger brother and I like to watch movies throughout Christmas day – selections include but are not limited to Home Alone, A Charlie Brown Christmas, A Christmas Story, and Die Hard, the latter of which is a personal favourite. Oh, come on, it’s totally a Christmas movie. I fail to see how it’s not. Anyway, time spent with the family is best spent indulging in sweets, treats, and loads of turkey, but my absolute favourite part of the Christmas season? Tourtiere. My grandmother’s traditional Acadien meat pie is proof enough that there is at least some justice in the world. Happy holidays!
Editor picks for books to read over the break:
1. Bossypants by Tina Fey
2. The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss
3. Let’s Pretend This Never Happened by Jenny Lawson
4. The Marriage Plot by Jeffrey Eugenides
5. The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
6. Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer
7. The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood
8. Goldfinch by Donna Tartt
9. Just My Type by Simon Garfield
10. A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving
11. The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman
12. A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
13. Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson
14. The Selected Poetry of Rainer Maria Rilke
15. The Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner
16. The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle by Haruki Murakami
17. All The Way: My Life On Ice by Jordin TooToo with Stephen Brunt
18. Boy On Ice: The Life and Death of Derek Boogaard by John Branch
19. Hockey Confidential by Bob McKenzie
20. Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe
21. Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami
22. The Girl Who Leapt Through Time by Yasutaka Tsutsui
23. Under the Volcano by Malcolm Lowry
24. Ariel by Sylvia Plath
25. A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini
26. The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini