The holidays are coming, and with the seasonal smells of fresh pine and warm cookies, comes the festive activities we all love to enjoy. In these days leading up to Christmas, or any holiday you celebrate, I’ve compiled a combination of foods, songs, decorations, and movies you all need to try out!

Foods

The holiday season is full of meals for Christmas, Hanukkah, etc, and at these meals, there is an assortment of food. Entrees like ham, brisket, and pasta and sweets like sugar cookies, candy canes, and cinnamon apple cake flood the dining room tables. There are a lot of foods to choose from, but which entrees and sweets are the best?

After asking a teacher at Pentucket Regional High School, my friends, and my parents and sharing my personal opinion, I have the ultimate list of holiday entrees and sweets.

These are the results of the best foods to eat during the holiday season:

Entrees

1. Me- “Meatballs because you can have them in pasta or you can eat them by themselves.”
2. Ms. Ducolon- “Latkes because they are good, but bad for you. They are guilt-free.”
3. Cam Wirwicz- “Spaghetti and meatballs because I have it every year for Christmas.”
4. Simon Bissitt- “Chinese food because I have it every year.”
5. Garrett Grafton- “Ham with mustard because it is yummy.”
6. Erika Dowling- “Lasagna because it is good, and I have had Italian food on every single Christmas Day.”
7. Mark Dowling- “Lasagna because we have it every year.”

Sweets

1. Me- “Lindt Chocolate Bears because I get them every year in my stocking.”
2. Ms. Ducolon- “Chocolate caramel back because my grandma made it, and now my dad makes it. It is a family tradition.”
3. Simon Bissitt- “Eggnog because it is so good.”
4. Cam Wirwicz- “Snickerdoodle cookies because my mom makes a mean snickerdoodle cookie.”
5. Garret Grafton- “Cinnamon rolls because my mom makes them every Christmas morning.”
6. Erika Dowling- “Chocolate cream pie because it is good.”
7. Mark Dowling- “Eggnog because it is so good.”

No matter if you are eating with your family for a holiday dinner or breakfast or just eating a sweet snack, these are the best things to eat during the holiday season.

Songs

Holiday songs are a staple of the holiday season. Classics like “Rockin Around the Christmas Tree” and “Rudolph the Rednosed Reindeer” play on the radio every single December and bring in the winter joy. There are a lot of ones to listen to, so I compiled a list of the best ones to listen to by interviewing teachers at Pentucket Regional High School, my parents, and my friends and sharing my opinion.

This is the ultimate holiday playlist:

1. Me- “‘Jingle Bell Rock’ by Brenda Lee because it is from my favorite Christmas movie, Home Alone. I also like it because of the instrumentals, and it hypes me up for Christmas and the holiday season.”
2. Cam Wirwicz- “‘Silent Night’ by Frank Sinatra because it captures the true essence and meaning of Christmas. It reminds me of Christmas Eve.”
3. Ms. Ducolon- “‘Baby it’s Cold Outside’ by John Legend because it is a politically correct spin of a holiday classic” that is morally questionable.
4. Garrett Grafton- “‘A Holly Jolly Christmas’ by Burl Ives because it reminds me of the Regular Show episode where they have a Yankee swap.”
5. Simon Bissitt- “‘Little Saint Nick’ by the Beach Boys because I like the Beach Boys and I have heard it since I was little, even though I did not know what the lyrics were.”
6. Erika Dowling- “‘This Christmas’ by Donnie Hathaway because it is modern and jazzy. It is different from other Christmas songs.”
7. Mark Dowling- “‘A Holly Jolly Christmas’ by Burl Ives because it reminds me of being a kid and watching Rudolph the Rednosed Reindeer on TV and being excited for Christmas.”

No matter if you are bundled up by a fire, decorating a tree, or taking a drive to look at all of the lights and decorations, turn these songs on for a great holiday season.

Decorations

Decorations are a big part of the holiday season. Whether it is an ornament, a tree, or a Menorah, they are all important to people who celebrate a holiday during the winter season. But which are the best ones? After asking a teacher at Pentucket Regional High School, my parents, and my friends and sharing my opinion, I have a definitive list of the best and most favorite holiday decorations.

This is the list of the quintessential holiday decorations:

1. Me- “Ornaments because they are all different from each other, and each one has a story to

   

   it.”

2. Ms. Ducolon- “The Menorah because I like lighting the candles.”
3. Cam Wirwicz- “Nativity scenes because it is the meaning of Christmas.”
4. Simon Bissitt- “The Christmas tree because it is a classic decoration.”
5. Garrett Grafton- “The star on the Christmas tree because it is the focal point of the tree.”
6. Mark Dowling- “The Christmas tree because it is traditional.”
7. Erika Dowling- “The Christmas tree because it is pretty.”

No matter what the holiday season looks like for you and what decorations you put up, people have different decorations that they adore, which is a great element of the season, as everyone can enjoy something about the season’s decor.

Movies 

Holiday movies are a staple of the holiday season. Classics like It’s a Wonderful Life and Rudolph the Rednosed Reindeer air every December and bring in the winter joy. There are a lot of ones to choose from in an overwhelming astronomical large medium, so I compiled a list of the best ones to watch by interviewing a teacher at Pentucket Regional High School, my parents, and my friends and sharing my opinion.

This is the ultimate holiday movie watch list for the holiday season:

1. Me- “Home Alone because I have watched it since I was a kid, it has great songs in it like “Jingle Bell Rock” by Brenda Lee and “Run Rudolph Run” by Chuck Berry, and it balances tones, as it is both sad, funny, and moving. I also like it because of the traps, the characters of Kevin, Marv, and Harry, and the messages and themes. All around, it is a classic Christmas movie.”
2. Cam Wirwicz- “A Christmas Story because it is iconic and it is a classic.”
3. Ms. Ducolon- “How the Grinch Stole Christmas (1966 cartoon) because I really like the dog and I really like when they sing.”
4. Simon Bissitt- “Rudolph the Rednosed Reindeer because of the vibe, the claymation, and the music.”
5. Garrett Grafton- “Elf because it is a comedy and because Will Farrell is in it.”
6. Erika Dowling- “A Year Without a Santa Claus because I like the Heat and Snow Miser characters and the music.”
7. Mark Dowling- “It’s a Wonderful Life because it is not a chippy and fake Christmas movie. It has a lot of ranges to it, and it is dark at points, like when George is about to commit suicide and when he has to overcome an internal conflict about existing. It is different from most Christmas movies because it handles topics that are not in other ones, and I like how different it is.”

No matter if you are warming up by a fireplace, making cookies and other treats, or just spending some holiday time with your family, watch these movies for the ultimate holiday experience!