The month of December is a time of celebration for most everyone. Major holidays like Christmas, Hanukkah, and Kwanzaa all occur. Out of these three holidays, Christmas is the only one that’s widely celebrated on two different days: December 24 or 25. 

Christmas is the time of the year when Christians celebrate the birth of Jesus. However, the Bible doesn’t explicitly state when the birth of Christ occurred, so it was up for debate for a while. Pope Julius chose December 25th as the date of Jesus’s birth, most likely because people were already in a celebratory mood due to winter solstice festivities, so they were more likely to embrace Christmas. 

In the 1800s, Americans started to restructure Christmas. Christmas Eve started to become the day when most of the religious activities occurred, and Christmas Day was the true celebration, where families would exchange gifts and spend time together. However, today, some people treat Christmas Eve as their “big Christmas,” so to speak, and open gifts then, instead of on Christmas Day. 

Celebrating on Christmas Eve rather than Christmas Day is more common in European countries than in the United States, but it’s still practiced. According to a study conducted by Statista, about 1 in 6 American families celebrate on Christmas Eve. 

How do these numbers compare to LRHS? According to a survey conducted by the Mycenaean News, out of 235 responses from LRHS students, 82% celebrate on Christmas Day, while 18% celebrate on Christmas Eve. 

Students’ reasons for celebrating on either day tend to be more because of familial traditions, but some do still have prominent religious reasons for celebrating. 

“We have a lot [of family traditions]… that’s kind of why we celebrate on Christmas Eve. That’s how my mom grew up doing it,” said Autumn Benish, senior. 

“It’s evolved around what everyone has felt like… It’s based around what my family needs…we would rather just chill in our pajamas,” said Ella Jack, junior. Jack has celebrations on both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, but she says that her “big” Christmas is on Christmas Day. 

“I think it’s a lot of our culture and religion, but also it’s like different family traditions that kind of go off of each other… from our culture and religions, we do family traditions based on that,” said Noella Duarte, sophomore. Duarte’s family is similar to Jack’s, as they have celebrations on both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, with the “main” Christmas celebrations happening on Christmas Day. 

“I go over to my mom’s side of my family’s house…we open presents there on Christmas Eve and don’t really do anything on Christmas Day…my traditions are more religion-based because we’re very Christian and we always go to a Christmas Eve service with the whole family beforehand,” said Dakota Clark, sophomore. 

Some students extend the holiday festivities to several days before Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Jeremy Vargas, senior, says his family starts their celebration a few days before the actual day. 

“It’s pretty much a lead up to Christmas…we have a lot of family, and we have multiple dinners…and then on Christmas Eve you stay up all the way till midnight,” said Vargas. 

Ultimately, when LRHS students celebrate Christmas remains personal to them and has become synonymous with their holiday traditions. While dates and customs vary, the core remains the same: a season dedicated to family, culture, and the joy of being together.