CMU Students Experience Varying Traditions for Christmas

For a large portion of Central Michigan University students, Christmas time is a time of year filled with traditions which often involve being with family.

From dinners to baking cookies to opening presents – all of these things mean much more when the family is brought together. For some students, Christmas is anticipated because it brings everyone in conjunction regardless of the busy schedules that silently invade our daily lives.

For Caro freshman Max Gierman, Christmas is a time of year he always looks forward to due to surrounding family.

“Christmas can be refreshing due to time with family and simply having the opportunity to catch up with those we might not always make the time for,” Gierman said.

A trip to a grandparent’s house seems to be a commonplace in many family traditions. However, for those with divorced parents, Christmas can be an exhausting day spent with lots of travel time.

As for Sault Ste. Marie senior Charlie Dunton, most of his Christmas is spent balancing family time.

“I wake up [every year] at one of my parents’ house, spend half the day there, then go to my other parent’s house,” Dunton said.

While it can be difficult, Dunton said regardless of the situation he always makes time for loved ones.

Some traditions are more unique than others, though. Traditions vary from family to family, but are often held close to the hearts of those involved.

For sophomore Stephanie Wegner, her younger siblings skipping school the day prior to the holiday break has become a tradition.

“We do Christmas with our extended family and do family trivia,” Wegner said. “It’s really funny and we get really competitive.”

It’s easy to see that Christmas traditions are expansive and none of them follow any sort of standard template, but that’s what makes them so special. At the end of the day, spending time with family seems to be the commonality.