According to Better Homes and Gardens, the most popular Christmas traditions include starting an advent calendar, sending out Christmas letters, or giving a meaningful ornament. While these might be meaningful to many Americans, Arrowhead sophomores Natalie Andorfer, Chloe Argue, and Abbey Julius share a tradition that is meaningful in their hearts: visiting family.

“My favorite tradition is going down to Illinois on Christmas Day because I get to see all of my family, and we all have a great time together,” says Andorfer.

Along with visiting her mom’s side of the family on Christmas day, Andorfer says her immediate family goes to Falbo’s pizza on Christmas Eve, opens the presents under the Christmas tree, and then drives around her subdivision and looks at the “creative, crazy, but pretty” Christmas lights.

Argue says that “her whole life” she has been going to her grandmas house after church on Christmas Eve, that’s why it’s her “lifelong favorite memory.” She says all her cousins, aunts and uncles all come together and “just hang out and spend time together.” On Christmas day, she spends “quality” time with her brothers and parents.

While going to her grandparents house on Christmas Eve is a favorite of Julius’, decorating her house with her mom means a lot also.

“We love decorating the house on Thanksgiving and the day after, we just love Christmas and the spirit it brings.”

Julius, like Argue, has been doing these traditions ever since she could remember, and probably before that too, she says.

All three of these AHS students love the holiday season because they are able to see their loved ones, that “they don’t see very often,” says Argue.

Andorfer says “It’s so nice to see my family, because I see them once a year, around Christmas time and it’s nice to spend time with them all together.”