The Panther Post features work from talented Primavera students with a love for the arts. This month, we sent out a contest to our Primavera Panthers asking for their favorite holiday tradition, memory or story and got some great responses. Check out the winner’s stories below:
Holiday Stories From Our Students
“Supposed to Be” Brownies
My name is Brandi Blaskowski, I saw the announcement that Primavera was wanting to hear student Christmas traditions. This is my tradition:
Each year, ever since I can remember, my family would bake sweets for Christmas. We’d do cinnamon buns, cookies, brownies, you name it. At first, we did it for “Santa,” but as my sisters and I got older, we did it because it brought us closer together as a family.
These last couple years, I’ve taken over the tradition of cooking the sweets, usually trying to do something creative with them. This year, I decided to try my hand at making brownies. But not just any brownies, candy cane brownies. I crushed some candy canes and added them to the batter and put some on top of the brownies a couple of minutes into the cooking.
Once they were finished cooking they looked a little…wrong. When I started cutting them, they kind of fell apart so there was just this big glob of what was supposed to be brownies on our plates. Even though they fell apart my family loved them. My sister deemed them “Suppose To Be Brownies.” Now my sisters and I make my “Suppose To Be Brownies” every year. I created a new holiday tradition by complete accident.
- Brandi Blaskowski, 12th grade
Memories
My favorite holiday memories is when I used to go to my Tia’s and we made different Christmas items and walked around the neighborhood and pass them out it was really fun than if we ran out of the Christmas items we passed out hot coco. This my favorite memory with Christmas just sad I am not going to spend this Christmas with my Tia since she passed away.
- Artemiza Sandoval, 10th grade
Favorite Hanukkah Tradition 
One of my favorite Jewish holidays is Hanukah. It’s always been my family and friend’s favorite time to come together and have fun during the winter months.
…But what do we do for it?
On the first night of Hanukah (there are eight nights in total), my family begins cooking potato latkes. They’re kind of like hashbrowns, only saltier. After they’re finished, we load my keyboard piano in the car, along with my grandmother’s famous (well… famous to me) matzo ball soup and the latkes.
We then drive to our friend’s house where all of our congregation meets every week. The leader gives a teaching on the background of Hanukah. The teaching ends, and the leader-in-training (which just so happens to be me this year) lights the first candle on the Menorah, signifying the first night of Hanukah. We then break to eat, and then comes music.
This is my favorite part. At the very end of the music portion of the night, the leader lets me play whatever song I want, although, I get exceedingly nervous every single time I do it, and I often screw up. But that’s the best part of having family and friends. They won’t care if you mess up, and will be there for you year-round to correct and shape you into the good person you know you can be. That’s our tradition, and I’m glad I was able to share it.
- Damon Mock, 11th grade
Personalized Blankets
My favorite holiday memory would have to be when my brother bought my mom a personalized blanket with all of my siblings names on it in the shape of a heart and she started crying because she loved it. Me and my four siblings started laughing because it was sweet that she loved it and she was saying stop it but it was nice to see my mom like that. She’s a single mom of 5 kids works a two shift job right now and still manages to spend time with her kids and support them. She deserved it she is a hard working mom and we all appreciate and love her.
- Shianne Hoffman, 10th grade
We want to hear from you!
Whether you like to write short stories, poems, movie reviews or have a passion for another form of art, your work can be featured on our Panther Post.
To apply, email [email protected] and include a brief description of your artwork or piece, a few sentences letting us know more about yourself and anything else that can tell the story of your masterpiece!
- Do you have a favorite holiday memory or tradition? Share with us in the comments below!
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