It’s the most wonderful  time of the year when Independence ”rocks with the red.” The holiday season looked a little different this year. The Indy Tigers and staff shared their plans. 

“On Christmas Eve, my fiance and I are going to spend the night at my brother’s with his family — they’ve been our quarantine crew — to be there when Santa comes for my niece and nephew,” said Ms. Katherine Wimmer, a personal finance teacher. This sounds like a quaranTEAM working to put in the effort to still celebrate together safely.

 “My family has a million Christmas traditions, and I am very Type A when it comes to keeping these traditions alive. On Christmas Eve, we always open stocking gifts. And on Christmas morning, we sit around the Christmas tree in our PJs and once again open gifts one-by-one. We like to open one at a time instead of just rip into them because it is fun to see what everyone got for everyone else – we have done this since I was a little kid and I plan to do this with my children one day too. While opening gifts we always, always have cinnamon rolls and then we have a big Christmas dinner later that night, “ said Mrs. Alyssa Griffin, a social science teacher.   Staff seem to really have fun during the holidays. It is good to know that everyone is still living their life and keeping traditions alive.  There are a variety of different religious holidays celebrated around the season. It’s difficult for families to celebrate together as a result of the COVID-19 regulations. Many families were unable to gather as they usually do, but students altered what they needed to in order to keep traditions alive. 

Sam Cooper, a junior at Independence, said, “I’m planning on celebrating Hanukkah with my family- my mom , dad and brother. We have celebrated together as one family for as long as I can remember. My mom makes the best latkes for Hanukkah. We do this every year and they’re always delicious.”  Cooper mentioned how his older brother who is in college was still able to celebrate with them virtually . Although this isn’t their usual way of celebrating with others, they still enjoyed their time. Covid isn’t stopping our families from enjoying the seasons with cheer.

Even though this year has been a little bit different and difficult, students are still keeping traditions alive and celebrating to their best ability. Whether virtual or masked up, families are still able to really focus on the good during these times. It can be easy to be discouraged, but our staff and students are just showing what they’re capable of.

“This is always my favorite time of year, but I think now more than ever it is important to remember and celebrate the true meaning of Christmas. While a lot of families are hurting and a lot of people are nervous about Christmas looking and feeling different, I am hoping that some new traditions can be started that make this Christmas special,”  said Cooper.