(Submitted by Abby Tanner)
Everybody has their own unique holiday traditions, specific to their lives and families. At Northwest, a few faculty members have traditions that really stand out.
As a kid, math teacher Cynithia Page had big family dinners every New Year’s. Page and her family would get together at her mother’s house to celebrate the New Year. She then talked about how it was such a special time in her childhood, and she has carried it over into her traditions now that she is older.
“My mom always wants to play games, and we’re like, we do not wanna play a game, we’re stuffed, we do not wanna sit here and play a game. After my dad died, she wanted that camaraderie and to feel included,” said Page.
History teacher, Doctor Mark Correll, also shared his memory of playing the “Sheet game.” During Christmas, his entire extended family would place all of their presents under a sheet, and starting with the youngest person in the room, would go around choosing presents.
“If it was their present, they could open the present; if it was not their present, they put it back under the sheet. This made it so that opening presents usually took us hours as a family, especially when we had lots of relatives over,” said Correll.
Corrina Pullon, a U.S. history teacher, talked about her memories as a kid of her aunts or older cousins calling her and each of her siblings separately on Christmas Eve, as an elf named “Pixie”, saying how Santa was his way with their presents. She noted how she looked forward to that phone call every year.
“The tradition stopped once I outgrew Santa, but now I get to be the one who calls my sisters’ kids ‘Pixie’ on Christmas Eve. It feels really special to keep the magic going for the next generation,” said Pullon.
(Submitted by Dede Rush)
Dede Rush, a health teacher here at Northwest, talked about the fond memories she has of dressing as an elf with her mother and father, dressed up as Santa and Mrs. Claus, to hand out presents during Christmas time.
“It was pretty cool. We did lots of service-type activities growing up, but it’s really fun getting to see kids love Santa,” said Rush.
Digital Media Teacher Marnie Hade also shared a beloved memory of her and her family about how they would all pick out special ornaments, ornaments that now date back two generations.
“It’ll be a weekend I just need because it’ll take me longer this year because I will have more emotional moments attached to the ornaments this year,” said Hade. She expressed how these have become even more precious after her mother’s passing.
(Submitted By Marnie Hade)
History Teacher Abby Tanner also shared her tradition of decorating her tree in thousands of lights and collecting ornaments that go back 40 years, all from places she and her family have traveled—specifically, the pickle ornament tradition.
“We also had a pickle ornament in our tree, which is an old German tradition. The whole thing is to find the
hidden pickle in the tree, and the first person to find it gets some small prize or chocolate or something,” said Tanner. A unique tradition she now shares with her husband and daughter.
Lastly, Computer Teacher Brandon Baker shared his tradition of dressing up as Santa Claus and delivering presents to his children. A tradition he passed down now to his kids.
