It’s time to get into holiday spirit. With the holidays slowly coming upon us, most families and friends are preparing for a holiday tradition that they engage in every year. A tradition is an event that is passed down generation to generation.

Examples of holidays that are creeping upon us are Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, and many more. The first holiday that already passed by was Thanksgiving which was held on Nov. 28.

“On Thanksgiving, my family comes over, including cousins, aunts, uncles and possibly some others. This year I had to work on Thanksgiving, but at my work they gave every employee a Thanksgiving dinner,” senior Ben Buhagiar said. “At my house we usually have a big dinner and we all sit in my dinning room. For many years Thanksgiving has been hosted at my house. We have turkey, gravy, stuffing, and so much more. Personally my favorite dish is stuffing and mashed potatoes.”

According to Buhagiar, Thanksgiving is a time where family joins together and is a time to get closer with everyone around you. Other families may have different traditions, such as playing games or watching movies.

With Christmas shortly on its way, people are getting in Christmas spirit. Christmas movies are starting to appear on television. The Hallmark channel is celebrating their 10 year anniversary of their Countdown to Christmas movie marathon. Countdown to Christmas will end on Dec. 28.

“My mom and I look forward to watching the Hallmark channel every year,” sophomore Molly Stephens said. “The movies make your heart feel warm and they help you get into the holiday spirit. My mom and I love many of the movies they air on television.”

Most families for Christmas set up a Christmas tree shortly before Dec. 25. Ornaments are hung and a tree topper is placed on the top of the evergreen.

“Every year my family and I decorate for the holidays together; we put up the Christmas tree, lights, stockings, and ornaments. We do it very differently compared to other families though. We play games to see who gets to put an ornament on our Christmas tree,” senior Piper Baumann said. “Someone describes a Disney character and whoever guesses the character first gets to put that item on the tree. It helps my family come together and bond over time we have lost with all of our crazy schedules.”

One event in Macomb, Michigan is the tree lighting at Partridge Creek mall. This year the event was held on Nov. 17 from 10 a.m to 7 p.m. Throughout the day there were many events and activities to participate in- there was face painting, dancing, singing, photography, and photos with Santa.

“The Partridge Creek tree lighting is like no other event. There are hundreds of people gathered around a Christmas tree and counting down until the lights turn on,” senior Jack Petruski said. “Trying to walk through the crowd of people was such a difficult task. People think you’re trying to push your way to the front, but in reality, you’re just trying to get to the other side.”

Another Christmas event in Michigan is “Shop with a Cop.” The Shelby Township police department hosts “Shop with a Cop” every year. An internal tradition within the station is FOP, also known as Fraternal Order of Police. Santa comes and visits and the policemen are able to bring their families along.

“Shop with a cop is very cool because we pick families that aren’t as fortunate as others and we take them to a store,” youth officer Jim Malczewski said. “I’ve done it personally for several years and we’re able to take families around and give them several hundreds if dollars worth of gifts.”

The new year is on its way. 2020 will start a new decade and people are trying to start the new year around friends and families. To start off the new year champagne will be popped.

“For New Years Eve, I go to my dad’s house. He invites a lot of people over and everyone is dressed up. We also always have champagne for the adults to drink,” senior Caitlyn Lanning said. “Every year we watch the ball drop that is hosted in New York City. We all scream the countdown and blow party horns.”

No matter the holiday, students are ready to continue their family traditions.