Christmas is about family and presents for senior Josh Nichols. Nichols’s dad told him he would get a new set of golf clubs if he broke 50 strokes on nine holes before Christmas. On the last chance to do this, Nichols shot a 51.
“I was so upset,” Nichols said. “I cried on Christmas Eve because I knew I wouldn’t get them.”
Nichols was surprised and excited to find a new set of golf clubs on Christmas day.
“I walked into the living room and my eyes shot up like fireworks on the Fourth of July,” Nichols said. “I started screaming and jumping.”
Magical times like these highlight students’ memories of the holidays.
For junior Kayley Mull, family makes Christmas better.
“It was the Christmas of 1996 when my little brother was born on Christmas Eve,” Mull said. “I was too young to remember all the details.”
Mull said the greatest gift she received was her little brother.
“It’s a present that has never lost its value,” Mull said. “I have learned to love it more each day.”
For sophomore Kalynn Langehennig, the best Christmas occurred when she was seven.
“I still believed in Santa Claus,” Langehennig said. “He came to my house three times that night and kissed my forehead.”
Langehennig received a mini pink motorcycle and a My Size Barbie from Santa that year.
“It was the best Christmas,” Langehennig said. “I saw Santa Claus, and I got everything I wanted.”
When junior Jasmine Torres was eight, she received the gift that would change her life. Torres had been repeatedly asking her parents for a piano.
“My parents kept saying we couldn’t afford it,” Torres said. “I cried myself to sleep at night because I thought I would never learn to play the piano, and that was my dream.”
On Christmas morning, Torres walked into the living room to see her dreams had come true.
“That is when my passion for music started,” Torres said. “I still play every day on that same piano.”
Junior Alex Carter’s best Christmas was when her parents surprised her with the iPhone she had been wanting.
“It was great because I thought I wasn’t going to get it,” Carter said. “Santa had already come.”
Carter’s parents disguised her present as a larger present.
“To the side of the tree was a huge brown box, and I opened it and there was another box until I got to the smallest one with my iPhone,” Carter said. “I was so excited.”
Memories are what kept people going to make more memories. Special gifts were part of those memories.
“I thought I was the coolest guy around,” Nichols said. “From that moment on, it pushed me to practice harder to get better.”