When students return from Thanksgiving break, there’s no mistaking the holiday cheer that abounds on campus. All corners become decked out in twinkling lights and colorful decorations. Spelled out in strung lights, a giant “F” announces the Forbes boys’ abode, and a large “W” adorns Wolcott House, where ribbons wrap the front pillars like gifts. The festive energy reminds students that winter break is near, and each house’s holiday traditions have students celebrating the season with their family away from home.
In the first weekend of December, Robbins House girls hold their holiday decorating party; with paint and glitter they design ornaments shaped like snowflakes, Christmas trees, snowmen or Jewish stars.
“This is the Robbins House tradition that means the most to me,” says Mary Handy (I). “Along with the ornaments, each grade designs a plaque, which are then displayed in our common room. My freshman year, our plaque had an oyster shell with pearls in it, and the pearls had our initials on them. At the top of the plaque, we wrote Robbins Freshmen Class of 2016.”
The girls of Millet House celebrated the first night of Hanukkah under the guidance of Sarah Acker-Krzywicki (IV). Sarah lit the menorah, and some of her housemates sang the traditional prayers. Sarah’s mother provided sufganiyots, a type of jelly donut, for everyone to enjoy.
Millet House also rings in the season with their Ugly Ornament contest and “Cakes for Flakes” event. The girls cut paper snowflakes to hang from their common room ceiling, and the “family” installing the most snowflakes wins a Red Velvet cake. The individual cutting the most snowflakes is crowned the “Snowflake Queen.”
The boys of Norris House recognize the oldest and youngest among them by bestowing the honor of topping the holiday tree with the star. Each of the Norris boys also recognizes—in a poem “’Twas the Night Before…Break” written by faculty member Peter Parisi—a sentimental or humorous line commemorating his year so far.
In the week before winter break, Hathaway House girls stage their important event: the holiday dinner—with fancy dress and linens—where their dining hall staff are honored invitees. Each senior girl also invites one guest to the dinner, and these “guests” serve the hosts! After dinner, the guests perform a song, story, poem or another creative piece that honors the senior who invited them. In honor of Nan Lee, a former Hathaway house head, the Lee Award is given to “the girl who most expresses the generosity of spirit and the art of gentle persuasion to help create a caring community at Hathaway.” The night ends with homemade desserts and songs around the piano.
Campus festivities culminate on the final evening before break when students, staff and faculty gather for the boarder dinner in Robert Saltonstall Gymnasium. Prior to dinner, Wolcott boys dress in holiday formal wear to enjoy a “mocktail” hour with hors d’oeurves, sparkling cider and conversation with house faculty families before escorting the girls of Hallowell to dinner. (The Hallowell girls, dressed in their finest, have begun with appetizers and mulled cider hosted by their house head.) After dinner, the boys return to their dorm to practice caroling, before serenading the girls’ houses one by one.
“After dinner, we all put on warm clothes and sit on the porch to watch the boys carol,” says Mary. “Then we go inside to open our final ‘secret snowflake’ presents. The holidays are a great time for bonding in the dorm, and we look forward to them all year.”