Much like Thanksgiving, you and your neighbors’ holiday meals differ, this is thanks to the wide range of diversity in cultures. That’s the beauty of holidays; everyone celebrates them differently.  Some like to enjoy an array of sweets and pots of sugar while others simply settle for a colorful and savory meal. “ My mom and I make chocolate chip cookies, red velvet cupcakes, and my siblings and I decorate sugar cookies. For Christmas we combine Korean and Hungarian food, but one dish that my mom makes which everyone likes is chicken paprikash,” said Junior at Stafford Sr. High school, Krisztina Chon. 

Food is symbolic of celebration and an integral part of many cultures worldwide. Whether it’s a religious holiday or a secular one. The numerous smells in one’s kitchen is really what sets mood for the holidays, cookies baking, cinnamon notes from gingerbread, and the tang of cranberries is what really makes a home feel like Christmas. Sergey Kolesnichenko, a Junior at Stafford Sr. High School, wakes up to the smell of “Borsh, Plemeni, Solyanka and pirozhki on Christmas morning.” He goes on to talk about how he and his family “like putting up trees together, then decorating them and taking pictures” as they wait for the dinner table to fill up. 

Christmas is about coming together with your family. For Christians, Christmas is a time of spiritual reflection on the important foundations of the Christian faith. It’s also a celebration with family. It’s when Christians celebrate God’s love for the world through the birth of the Christ child: Jesus Christ. No matter how you celebrate Christmas, most can agree that the best way to come together and celebrate is with your favorite holiday food.