Hot chocolate, sweaters, gingerbread houses, and “Mistletoe” by Justin Bieber playing on repeat. December has arrived and with it the Christmas celebrations.

On the St. Ambrose campus, students saw the big Christmas tree in front of the Wellness and Recreation Center (WRC), and the ceiling of the Cosgrove cafeteria was filled with Christmas lights. SAU students seemed excited about this time of the year as they shared their main Christmas traditions. 

Roselyn Martinez, a Mexican American Fighting Bee said: “The first tradition that comes to mind is that before opening all our presents at midnight, everybody in my family needs to hug each other. Besides that, every year we have a different color theme for our Christmas tree.”

Jonna Tucker, a transfer SAU student from Utah also shared, “On Christmas Eve we go to my grandparents’ house, we have a big dinner, and we do a secret santa with all my cousins. Also, something that it has been in our family since I was very young is that there are no names on any of the presents under the tree, but in the bottom of our stockings there is a small piece of wrapping paper with each person name and the presents that are wrapped in that same paper are the ones that are yours.”

Kaylen Abrahamsen, a second year SAU student from South Carolina, said that at her house they do things a little bit different: “We open only one present on Christmas Eve, and it is always pajamas, which we have to wear to sleep that night.”

Besides the gifts and the meaning behind Christmas, this time of the year is also well-known for delicious foods. 

Dora De La Cruz, a Mexican American Fighting Bee said, “Christmas is my favorite time of the year. I get to prepare tamales, a traditional dish for my family, and we get to eat together and express our gratefulness.”

Tucker added to that saying, “My mom’s caramel cinnamon French toast is my favorite Christmas’ food. We put whipped cream and strawberries on top.”

Hesham Goodman, SAU student from Madagascar, has a unique Christmas tradition as well.“My relatives and I, in the morning of Christmas, kill a cow and cut the meat for both lunch and dinner meals. Because of the large amount of food we get, we also share it with friends, neighbors and other people that are in the area,”he said.

Eries Alfaro, a Mexican American entering his second year at St. Ambrose University said, “My family’s Christmas tradition is celebrating with ‘pan de reyes’, which is also known as ‘bread of the kings’ that contains mini plastic babies within it, and if you have one in your slice of bread, you must make tamales in February.”

Diversity is definitely present during this time of the year. SAU students from all over the world start to get ready to head home and others prepare to stay here with their loved ones. As finals approach and the snow comes down, it is important to stay warm and relevant to remember a little bit of Christmas family traditions.