Bay first-graders share their favorite family traditions

For the Observer's annual last-issue-of-the-year feature, students from Mrs. Julie McArn's first-grade class at Normandy Elementary School in Bay Village share favorite family traditions.

The night before Christmas, we all go in my mom and dad’s bed and read, The Night Before Christmas. You know, that’s the only time you can read this story.

– Mary F.

On Christmas morning, I wake my parents up. After I wake them up, I wake my brother and sister up. Then me, my brother and sister go downstairs and wait for mom and dad to come down. Then we open our presents. We get to play with our presents for a little bit. That’s all.

– Eddy

My grandma and grandpa come from Florida. My grandpa likes to take me ice skating. When we get home we like to play LOL together.

– Blake

I have hot cocoa. I go outside and play in the snow.

– Charlie

We make gingerbread houses. We invite everyone over. Me and my cousins put the frosting on our noses and then we eat it off the spoon.

– Holynn

Over Christmas we make gingerbread houses. We use white cookies. And we have Christmas dinner. I think we have cookies for dinner. We usually do this by ourselves. I like it a lot.

– Grey

Me and my family go to the Knickerbocker to sing Christmas carols. Sometimes we go with my best friend Elanora.

– Mary H.

Spending lots of time with my family is what we always do. I eat good food with them like gingerbread cookies that my mom makes. They taste good.

– Nolan C.

We go to the Nutcracker with my friend Joey. Sometimes we will go to somebody’s house to eat Christmas dinner.  It’s a happy time.

– Lucy

We bake cookies with my mom and all my siblings. My favorite is putting sprinkles on them. Once we are done I like to eat them.

– Graham

Me, my grandpa and grandma and cousins eat breakfast before we open our presents. We eat eggs, and bacon. I love bacon. On Christmas day we wear our pajama pants. Me and my mom go shopping together on Christmas. It is fun.

– Maggie

Every year, me and my cousins we do a Secret Santa. How it works, whoever aunt or uncle has a hat we line up and pull a name out of it. Then we go to another aunt or uncle and they just look at the name and they won’t tell. And then we shop for something for that person. I like it.

– Brigid

Every year we go over to my grandma and grandpa’s house with all our family. We have partners who we give a gift to. Then go over to the house and give the gifts we bought them.

– Oliver

On Christmas morning we wake our parents. We go downstairs and open presents. I think we take pictures too. And our family comes. They bring us presents. We eat breakfast. We just spend lots of time with our family.

– Lennon

On Christmas Eve we get Christmas pajamas from my mom. That’s it.

– Evan

Every Christmas we go to the Nutcracker. My sister dances in it too. Some of my sister's friends go with my family. Every year we sometimes go ice skating. This year we get to go skiing at my grandma and grandpa’s cabin.

– Caroline

My holiday tradition is growing a flower (Amaryllis) for Christmas. I like to watch it grow.

– Ray