Christmas has come to an end, and Staples students are back at school after celebrating one of the biggest holidays in Christianity. However, it seems that not only Christian students but also some Jewish students enjoyed the holiday festivities.
Dustyn Levenson ’14 celebrated Christmas for the first time this year in Maine with her Christian cousins.
“We went to church on Christmas Eve which I absolutely adored,” she says. “It was just awesome how welcoming everyone was, and I had never before experienced a place where people literally welcomed my family with open arms as they hugged us and wished us a Merry Christmas.”
However, she admits, it was the next morning that was the best part for her.
“My cousins had a Christmas tree, which I never had, and it really is an incredible feeling to wake up to,” she recalls. “I had a stocking filled with little gifts and even had presents from Santa under the tree. I felt like a little kid experiencing Christmas for the first time.”
Unlike Levinson, Jackson Ullmann ’14, who is Jewish, has been celebrating Christmas (and Jewish holidays) ever since he was born.
“Celebrating Christmas has been a thing that I have grown up with,” he says. “My parents also celebrated Christmas when they were kids even though they are Jewish.”
Ullmann admits that he and his family definitely get into the festivities of Christmas.
“We go very, very far with Christmas,” he says. His family had two Christmas trees this year. “We also have around 20 nutcrackers that we set up around the house and we even have a Christmas village scene set up on the top of our piano.”
Emma Finn ’16 is a more casual “half and half” student. Her dad is Christian and her mom is Jewish, so she celebrates both—yet she admits, “We usually don’t go very far.”
For these students, there’s nothing weird about celebrating Christmas, even though they are Jewish as well.
“I feel like its become a holiday for America, regardless of religion,” says Levenson. “Some people celebrate it because of the history, and others because, well, it’s pretty difficult to avoid, but it really has become a widespread celebration.”
Ullmann agrees. “I feel like even if you are not Christian, Christmas is still a holiday that everyone enjoys just because of all the fun events and festivities that come with it.”
