Taylor Bolanos
Staff Writer
Winter is coming to the students at the University La Verne, and this season some of the best moments will be bonding with family and friends over holiday traditions.
Ten students from around campus shared the traditions they look forward to the most when winter finally arrives.
According to these students, food brings everyone closer together, whether it is baking from scratch or just gathering around the dinner table. Students plan to bond in the kitchen with their family.
Freshman accounting major Gabrielle Slocum will spend her days relaxing with family and will participate in one of her favorite Christmas traditions.
“Every year we make homemade donuts,” Slocum said. “We make homemade glaze. By the end, you’re just entirely covered. We make a day out of it.”
Days later, Slocum and her family stay up until midnight to celebrate the new year and toss confetti.
Just days before Christmas, junior English major Carrie Ceniceros-Uribe and her family also bake together.
“We make Christmas cookies,” Ceniceros-Uribe said. “We have one day when we all get together. It’s super cheesy, but I secretly love it.”
Ceniceros-Uribe and her family enjoy Hallmark Christmas movies, and she and her boyfriend spend winter nights ice-skating together.
Senior physics major Adam Cusic looks forward to visiting with his parents for the holidays.
Cusic said he enjoys time with his father’s side of the family each Christmas.
“I usually go out for Christmas morning breakfast with my family,” Cusic said.
After Christmas passes, Cusic plans to attend the SnowGlobe Music Festival in Lake Tahoe for the week of New Year’s Eve.
Other students enjoy activities with their families.
“Ever since I was a baby, we always decorate the tree together,” senior kinesiology major Andrew Milligan said. “We always add a new decoration every single year.”
Milligan also plans to cook Christmas dinner and decorate his home to lighten the holiday burdens on his family.
In between hockey games and the Rose Bowl on New Year’s Day, senior political science major Stephanie Fugit spends quality time with her family.
“On Christmas Day, we all play board games,” Fugit said. “We’re playing Cards Against Humanity this year.”
Fugit said she is looking forward to the laughs she will share with her family this season.
Senior kinesiology major Harrison Brethouwer also celebrates the holidays with simple family bonding.
“(I) put a little Santa hat on and pass out presents,” Brethouwer said. “I’m Santa for the day.”
Brethouwer is eager to celebrate his 21st birthday just days before Christmas and to see his brother, who will visit from Australia.
Junior physics major Joseph Eggers celebrates the holidays on a much larger scale in what he refers to as the “Eggers family party.”
After days of seeing Christmas lights with his family, camping and having bonfires at the beach, Eggers looks forward to a family reunion.
“All my family gathers together,” Eggers said. “My sister comes back from the east coast.”
Senior chemistry major Paul Clark enjoys two special Christmas traditions with his family each year.
“We’ll be doing a trip to the Mission Inn for the Festival of Lights followed by hot chocolate,” Clark said. “On December 31st, we have the annual Christmas tree burning in a fire out back and roast marshmallows.”
Clark and his family will also rock climb in Yosemite and visit San Francisco, where he plans to take photos for his blog.
Much like Clark’s family, sophomore business administration major Bobby de la Pena and his family combine their love of the outdoors with the holiday season.
“We have a snow fight in our front yards,” de la Pena said. “We bring down snow (in trucks) from the mountains.”
While many only watch The Rose Parade from home, sophomore kinesiology major Zach Stiver and his family ring in the new year directly from Pasadena.
Stiver credits his mother with his New Year’s Day tradition.
“My mom works for the Tournament of Roses,” Stiver said. “She gets tickets to the game every year. Hopefully (University of Southern California) gets there. We get to the Rose Parade at 6. It’s probably in the 40s or 50s (degrees).”
Winter vacation may feel too short, but these Leos plan to enjoy it with their families while the chill is still in the air.
Taylor Bolanos can be reached at taylor.bolanos@laverne.edu.