Photo courtesy of iStock.

  San Luis Obispo High School students have traditions all across the board, from beach soccer to the hanging of a stuffed animal. These are just a few holiday traditions that are floating around our school, and it seems like all traditions are very different.

  “We always play beach soccer on Christmas Day and someone always ends up breaking a toe,” said freshman Riley O’Connor.

  Though we live in California, where it’s rare that it even rains, some people are still able to enjoy a Christmas in the snow. Freshmen Paige Losee and Tyler Hagobian both have annual trips to Fresno, where they visit friends and family, and subsequently go skiing at China Peak.

  “We sometimes play a game where we hide a pickle ornament in the tree, and whoever finds it gets a treat. It’s a little weird, but it’s fun” said junior Catarina Harris.

When asked about Hannukah, sophomore Audrey O’Leary had her own traditions to share.

“My entire family went up to my Nana’s house in Thousand Oaks and it’s weird because she owns four dogs and then fosters puppies. So she had up to 21 dogs maximum,” said O’Leary.

  In some households, people have to earn their gifts. “We played games, like where we wrap things in a bunch of paper and tape and boxes and make our family unwrap them with mittens,” said freshman Arely Perez.

  There are other holiday traditions that don’t involve the hanging of stuffed animals, such as the Boscaro family wearing matching pajamas. “So each year our Nana finds a mysterious gift and every year its pajamas. Everyone gets their own set of pajamas that you wear that night and then we’re all in our new pajamas for Christmas morning. And then we all watch National Lampoon’s Christmas together.” said sophomore Siena Boscaro.

   Whether it’s Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanzaa, Yule or something else, everyone has their unique traditions that make the holiday season special to them.