Danika Jhawar (’24) and her family set up for their Thanksgiving feast in 2021. “Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday tradition to take part in,” Jhawar said. “It’s around my birthday, so a lot of family and friends come and we all celebrate, and have a good time. And, the food’s really good.”

Parker Keston (’25) celebrating Chanukah in 2021. “For me, [it’s] Chanukah. [We go] over to my grandparent’s house and it’s a big gathering with my cousins and my family that I don’t see that often,” Keston said. “My grandma makes latkes and my great uncle always makes brisket. [It] didn’t happen last year, so I’m really looking forward to that because it’s my favorite thing.”

English teacher Jennifer Dohr’s memorial in honor of her mother, set up on Christmas Eve. “My mother passed away on Christmas Eve — ever since then, for the last six years, we wake up on Christmas Eve morning, and we light a candle. We keep it in the middle of our dining room table and we don’t blow it out until midnight of Christmas day,” Dohr said. “We sit around the table and tell these beautiful stories of her life. The way that we most honor the people we loved in life is to tell their stories.” 

Goldie Marmur (’26) and sister Daisy Marmur (’23) on Thanksgiving in 2021. “I really enjoy being with my family on Thanksgiving,” Goldie Marmur said. “Every year, we all come together at my house, and we all say what we’re grateful for and then get food.”

Evan Bowman (’22)’s Thanksgiving table. “Every Thanksgiving, I drive up to my grandparent’s house,” Bowman said. “They live in San Jose, so it’s a six hour drive. I actually really enjoy the drive because I usually end up talking to my family the entire time. I always look forward to that — spending time with my family even though we’re all crammed into one little car.”

Justine Moore (’22) and family on stand in front of a Christmas tree on Christmas day. “On Christmas day, my mom will hide a pear in the Christmas tree,” Moore said. “Whoever finds it first gets to open the first gift. I really like it because we’re all together, trying to beat each other.”

Fitness & Wellness teacher Dani LeNoir with family on Christmas Eve, 2020. “My favorite holiday tradition to partake in is Christmas Eve,” LeNoir said. “[Christmas Eve’s] when all of my extended family gets together at my parent’s house. My cousins and I, we all do Secret Santa from names that we pulled at Thanksgiving, and every year [we have] a different clothing tradition. Sometimes it’s ugly Christmas sweaters [and] sometimes it’s my family doing matching pajamas. My mom makes her world famous, award winning chili. We all just sit around and play games, sing carols and it’s about 30 of us.”