From building snowmen to visiting temples to cooking up holiday feasts, Pinewood families all have their unique traditions during the holiday season. Whether intended to usher in a cozy winter or to celebrate a cultural holiday, these traditions reflect the diversity of the Pinewood student body.

   For eighth grader Allen Rotenstein’s family, Hanukkah — a Jewish holiday that commemorates the rededication of the Second Temple in Jerusalem — is their most important celebration. Each Hanukkah, the family sits down to a dinner of traditional foods along with dishes from other cultures. One of Rotenstein’s favorite parts of the celebration is lighting the menorah on each day of the holiday.

   “It’s really nice to do it every year,” Rotenstein said. “I always look forward to it.” 

   Since the holiday follows the Hebrew calendar, Hanukkah’s timing changes every year. As a result, Rotenstein shared that the first day of the holiday fell on the same day as his birthday one year.

   “It was really cool to celebrate my birthday and the opening day of Hanukkah, because we went to our local synagogue to pray and celebrate,” Rotenstein said.

   Like Rotenstein, sophomore Jaime Lee also celebrates the holiday season with a special family dinner. When she lived in Hong Kong, Chinese New Year was an opportunity to celebrate with her extended family. The family would light incense, pray, and enjoy a dinner together. Lee especially enjoyed the chance to spend time with her cousins.

   “That’s probably one of the best memories, just spending time with my little cousins,” Lee said.

   Now that she lives across the globe from her extended family and no longer has large celebrations for Chinese New Year, Lee misses the connection these events gave her.

   “I don’t celebrate with my cousins or my uncles or my aunties or my grandparents anymore,” Lee said. “Coming here, I feel like I’ve lost a little bit of that.”

   Junior Tara Bhaskaran spends Diwali — an Indian festival celebrating the victory of light over darkness — with her father’s side of the family. Together, they light candles, set off firecrackers, and enjoy a traditional meal together. Spending time with her family is one of Bhaskaran’s favorite parts of the festival.

   “I love hanging out with my younger cousins,” Bhaskaran said.

   Later in the year, she travels to North Carolina to celebrate Christmas with her mother’s side of the family. Gift shopping, cookie baking, and singing carols add to the festive spirit of the holiday. The family often spends time cooking meals together during the Christmas season, enjoying the time

they spend together.

   “My favorite Christmas tradition is hanging around the kitchen and preparing food,” Bhaskaran said.

   For Pinewood families, the holidays are often a chance to reconnect with relatives and create lasting memories.