Traditions are mirrors. They show us who we are, where we come from and what we hold close. With the holidays approaching, teachers opened up about how they celebrate and what it means to them.

Holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas are a time for families to come together, reflect on gratitude and celebrate traditions. These occasions are an opportunity to bond and create memories between different generations.

For government and economics teacher Howard Lui, the holidays are defined not just by celebration but conversation.

“Instead of being on the TV or computers, we’re sharing stories about the past, how things came about, funny things about one person, so that the new generation can understand who their relatives are and have history behind them,” Lui said.

Some stories stand out because they explain how the humor of past generations shows up in their children today.

“It’s just funny stories about… how we get qualities from each relative… Like, there’s a big story about how our grandma used to cut the turkey alive, and she’d make fun of us because we got scared of it… it’s stuff like that,” Lui said.

As families grow, traditions evolve to include new members and adapt to changing circumstances, keeping celebrations meaningful while accommodating everyone.

“The traditions changed a little bit when I started dating my husband. We combined with his family… it changed a little bit more when my sister got married, and she split time with her in-laws too,” history teacher Kathryn Cayem said.

Similarly, for the Lui family, the addition of new family members meant adjusting celebrations to include everyone.

“It’s been evolving. It’s been changing. Because of the addition of new family members, like my sisters got married, and we have new kids. So, we’ve adapted some of the things that they like,” Lui said.

Alongside the usual turkey and stuffing, the Lui’s family Thanksgiving meal weaves in dishes from their heritage, giving the children a chance to experience flavors from their cultural roots.

“We call it chow fun; it’s a mixture of noodles, beef, and bean sprouts. A lot of the kids like that one. It’s really easy, and they like the noodles,” Lui said.

For Cayem, Thanksgiving is more of an opening act to the holiday she truly enjoys—Christmas.

“I always like that it feels like a kick-off to Christmas. Usually, we watch Christmas movies on Thanksgiving, so I think that’s probably my favorite part of it because I like Christmas a lot more than Thanksgiving,” Cayem said.

Though she approaches Thanksgiving with little fanfare, Christmas mornings have remained a special tradition for Cayem and her sister. Now that the family has grown, the sisters are determined to carry forward the rituals that made their own experience special.

“My favorite thing of all year is Christmas brunch with my family. We grew up eating this huge breakfast in pajamas and then opening all of our presents with our family, and we’ve done that every single Christmas morning of my entire life… Now that we both have kids, we’ve vowed to make sure that Christmas morning is always spent that same way—how we grew up,” Cayem said.

Beyond the traditions, Christmas also holds a deep significance as a time for faith and family, with Cayem’s enduring hope that her loved ones continue to cherish and create lasting memories together.

“For us, Christmas is really important. I grew up as a Christian, and so not only is it celebrating something about my religion, but it’s also a time that’s important to spend with each other,” Cayem said.

The traditions we keep give the season purpose and bring loved ones together. They ensure that the moments, values and memories that matter most are never forgotten.