The holidays can be the most memorable time of the year where people get to enjoy time with family, friends and loved ones. Most can recall a special time where the holidays brought joy, fun, smiles and even tears to their lives.

Stan State students, faculty and staff were asked about their favorite holiday memories while they were growing up.

For Jessica Calderon (junior, Psychology), the holidays were infused with cultural traditions.

“I remember we would go on these things called posadas, which is like a Mexican thing where you would get together with the entire area where you lived. I lived in a predominantly Mexican neighborhood, and we would get together and drink atole (a popular Mexican hot beverage) and champurrado (a warm and thick chocolate-based drink) and walk around the neighborhood, and there would be some caroling involved in Spanish,” Calderon said.

For other Stan State students, their favorite holiday memories incited laughter and made for great stories to share for years to come.

Miroslava Torres (senior, English) stated that during one Christmas season, while they were celebrating her brother’s birthday on Dec. 23, a cake fight broke out. 

“We had the whole family over, we had a full-house and a cake fight broke out of nowhere, so everybody was totally full of cake within 10 minutes,” Torres said.

Alfredo Vargas (senior, Anthropology) recalled one Christmas where his grandmother became sick and ”threw up on the food.”

 ”It was pretty fun, and it was a good memory,” Vargas said.

Roger Vasquez (senior, Communication Studies) stated that the best holiday memories he has experienced occurred during Christmas.  

“That is when we put in all our effort in our community and our house, so I would say all the decorations my mom and I would do. We would do all the little nacimiento, which is like a little Jesus [nativity scene],” Vasquez said. ”Now that I have my own house and live off-campus, I got into it and do it myself.”

For other Stan State students, the holidays were a time for family bonding and sharing stories.

Becky Moua (senior, Liberal Studies) also stated that Christmas was a time to share memories with family members. 

“During that time, the family that I am most closely associated with, we would come together and do potluck style food and open presents,” Moua said.

Like Moua, Catherine Figueroa (freshman, Criminal) enjoyed spending time with family during the holidays where they would go camping and tell old stories of the past. 

Officer Clint Strode of the University Police Department (UPD) also shared his favorite memory from his childhood.

“A favorite childhood memory was fishing with my dad, when I was a kid. He taught me how to fish, and we went out in the ocean or the lake, and we spent time together. Sometimes we catch fish, sometimes we didn’t, but it was always fun,” Strode said.

Professor Alex Markov (Communication Studies) also recalled a prominent Christmas memory from when he was younger. 

“I have a distinct childhood memory of my grandfather dressing up as Santa Claus to hand out presents to the grandchildren. He was a lot like Santa in both his appearance and demeanor,” Markov stated. ”I also remember learning that Santa Claus wasn’t real (spoiler alert) because his handwriting looked like my mother’s.”

Yet another faculty member, Professor Kathryn Steele (English), had a favorite holiday memory to recall. It was a gift she received one Christmas.

“My American Girl doll, Samantha. They had books associated with the character, and it was neat because I understood her before I received her,” Steele said. 

Isabel Alvarez (junior, Communication Studies) stated that Thanksgiving was a fond childhood meory for her because it was also in the same week as her birthday.

“That year was the first year that someone actually shoved my face into the cake, but it actually missed the cake and hit the table,” Alvarez said.

She added that sharing a sense of community for the holidays where eveyone brought tamales, pozole and “different, awesome Mexican foods” over is something she will always remember. 

The holiday times can be filled with hustle and bustle, and a lot of shopping, but they can also bring great joy and make for great memories. They give people the opportunity to step away from everyday mundane tasks and spend time with the ones they love.