Photo of the Peppermint Pig candy that Sadie Anders and her family enjoy

Jacqueline Wong ‘27

REPORTER

Christmas is a holiday celebrated by many all around the world. It’s a time of togetherness, generosity, spirit, and tradition. At Unionville High School, both students and teachers have various ways of engaging in the festivities.

Sophomore Sadie Anders: “We ordered this candy called The Peppermint Pig, which is only made in Saratoga Springs, New York. We all get together at the table, and we place this large clump of peppermint that’s shaped like a pig into a bag. We pass it around the table to each say some things that we’re thankful for throughout the year, and we’re all just happy to be together. Every time someone says what they’re thankful for, they give the pig a whack! Then, after it’s gone around the entire table, we share the cracked peppermint with each other.”

Sophomore Saya Patel: “I either go to Canada to visit my relatives or my family in Canada comes to Pennsylvania. In Canada, I hang out with my family, and we go to the Canadian shopping malls. They have new stores that aren’t in the U.S, like Tim Hortons! When we go we get lots of Tim Hortons … I also go to Longwood Gardens to see the Christmas lights. This year, I’m going with my family from England and my Canadian family, so seventeen of us are pulling up to Longwood Gardens. I have a close-knit family, so this is a nice way to meet up and celebrate together!”

Sophomore Kiernan Coyne: “We get a 17-foot tree in our house. I have seven siblings, so we have over a few hundred ornaments to hang up, which is pretty cool [and] pretty magical. This tradition first started when we moved to Pennsylvania. We got a bigger living room, and my parents wanted to go all out, so the tradition just carried on. We also get a seven-foot chocolate Santa. We can’t open it until after Christmas, and every year we use knives to break it.”

English Teacher Mrs. Katie DelDotto: “We always wear matching pajamas with our family, so we roll those out on Christmas Eve. We leave out the cookies for Santa, and we usually take the kids in the car and take them around the neighborhood to see all the Christmas lights. We always vote on our favorite home, which is our home. We kind of lead the kids in that direction. We also put out food for the reindeer on our front lawn. It’s either the reindeer who eats them or my dog.”

Art Teacher Mr. Louis Stamis: “I make cookies with my kids. We normally decorate them in strange and weird ways. We like to go to Longwood to see their events. Then we watch The Nightmare-... Not The Nightmare Before Christmas, sorry. The Night Before Christmas. And yeah! That’s normally the stuff that we make sure to get done every year.”