After over a year of living in a pandemic-filled world, the holiday season is here to bring the joys and excitements we have all been anticipating. For many families, COVID is no longer lurking around the corner waiting to put off their events or cancel them, and they are finally able to celebrate in style!

Although Christmas is practically upon us, many feel as though it could not come soon enough. With all the stresses of final exams and making sure gifts are perfect for loved ones, we often lose sight of what the holidays are truly about. Without being able to visit family and friends last year, the Christmas season was mostly focused around material goods instead of actually visiting people.

“When we couldn’t have the whole family together last year, I was really upset because everyone was supposed to come over but plans changed at the last minute. It also would have been the first time my family has gotten together since the start of COVID,” senior Lexi Bross said.

Bross is not alone in looking forward to spending time with her family. Even though everyone celebrates the holidays in a unique way, visiting family is a uniting tradition for many students and teachers here at St. Dominic.

“We go to my wife’s parents’ house on Christmas Eve to open gifts with [my kids’] cousins. We get up around dawn to open gifts at our house! We will go by Mass Christmas morning and then go to my moms in the afternoon. By the end of the day, we are exhausted! Then the kids start counting down the days until Christmas next year,” Mr. Eckhard said.

While some families, like the Eckhards, travel for the Christmas season, other families enjoy hosting relatives at their own home.

“I am most excited about going to see Christmas lights and being able to see my aunt, uncle and cousins who live in California because they couldn’t visit last year due to COVID,” junior Riley Robertson said.

It was pretty clear that last year’s Christmas spirit was lost in the chaos of the pandemic. However, this year, Christmas is back in full swing. Many families are gathering together for the first time in two years, and we could not be more thankful for the gifts of family and love this holiday season!