As some students of Antioch Community High School look forward to the 2024 winter, they are excited to spend time at home. They are eager to get away from the stressful tests and have time to relax with no pressure from school.
Junior RJ Deguzman is especially looking forward to time at his house surrounded by family. He attends many Christmas parties filled with games, food and gifts. Having a large extended family, there are many gifts to be passed around. Deguzman looks forward to this as soon as the Halloween season comes to an end.
“As soon as November 1st hits, I am listening to Christmas music,” Deguzman said. “November first is when Christmas starts.”
Deguzman enjoys going to light shows during the holiday season and spending as much time with family as he can. He specifically enjoys Christmas Day with his immediate family as they open up gifts and enjoy each other’s company. He encourages others to not take this cheerful season for granted and to make sure to cherish this precious time with those one loves.
Something new Deguzman wishes to try this upcoming season is to spend the holiday in New York. He has never been to New York and is inspired by many holiday movies that took place in The Empire State.
In contrast to Deguzman, senior Quinn Pluciennik starts celebrating the holidays after Thanksgiving. He enjoys spending a lot of his holiday break with friends, family and playing hockey. He enjoys the New Years celebrations and looks forward to going out of town to Eagle River, WI to visit family.
Pluciennik encourages others to try something new like sledding, snowboarding, ice skating and many other activities to get the most out of the break. He recommends that others spend quality time with family members as well.
“This break I really want to spend more time with my grandparents,” Pluciennik said. “Maybe take them out for breakfast.”
Pluciennik’s favorite part of the break is Christmas Eve. His family hosts a party for their extended family and friends to celebrate together. It is filled with fun and laughter as the younger kids in attendance get a surprise visit from Santa each year.
Similarly, math teacher Emily Parris looks forward to the holiday break since the very day after Halloween. She mainly likes to focus on relaxing and getting lots of sleep during her break from school. She takes this opportunity to get away from all things school related and strays away from anything to do with grading or lesson planning.
Parris loves to bake cookies and wrap presents with her mom. They make it apparent do this annually with one another to get into the Christmas spirit. Parris also enjoys going to see the Kris Kringle market in downtown Antioch.
Not only does she enjoy time to herself to relax during the break, but she also finds joy in spending time with her friends and family who come home for the holidays. One thing she would like to do that she has never done before during the break is go somewhere warm.
“[I would like to] go somewhere tropical before it gets snowy,” Parris said. “I would like to go somewhere warm like an island.”
Ultimately, the students and staff of ACHS are ecstatic for this upcoming holiday break and cannot wait to have time away from their schoolwork. They enjoy spending time with both their friends and family, and are so grateful for all the joy that is felt throughout the holiday season.