Freshman Lili Townes had a particularly eventful Christmas morning; it was one that included merriment and presents, as well as trouble-making, rebelling puppies who wanted to open the gifts themselves.

“We have two puppies,” Lili said, “and they’re both under a year old. When we got [our present], the puppies were out in the living room, and they kept trying to yank the blanket off. My parents would have to keep putting the blanket on so that we wouldn’t find out what it was. They didn’t wrap it, because it was too big, so they just threw a blanket over it. We yanked the blanket off and couldn’t find the label, so we had to actually open it to find out what it was.”

Winter break is always a much anticipated time of relaxation and holiday entertainment. Of course, Christmas falls under this time out of school; with Christmas comes presents. The students at FHC received many remarkable gifts that brought them closer to family members and brought them joy over the holidays.

As for Lili and her puppies, they had a wonderful time hanging out at home during the break. She also was gifted with a greatly-desired present. 

“I got an electric keyboard,” Lili said. “I share it with my sister, and we were so excited. I’ve been wanting it for [about] six months. I’m already very musical; this is the fifth instrument that I play. I have practiced [playing the keyboard] every day of the week since I got it.”

What makes the keyboard a fantastic gift for Lili is that it is sure to be used and appreciated for a long time because she is already such a musically talented person.

Similar to Lili, freshman Alexis Rietema also received a gift that she immensely enjoyed. It brought her closer to her family and added to the cheeriness on Christmas morning.

“One of the things I got for Christmas was a mini projector,” Alexis said. “So whatever I can do on my phone I can put onto a bigger space. I was really excited because [if I hadn’t gotten one], it would have been something that maybe I would’ve asked next year, or I could have invested my own money into it. [But now], I don’t have to buy it for myself.”

A mini projector, aside from being fun, is also convenient if one doesn’t want a full TV in their room. And, the fact that Alexis didn’t have to buy one herself, further contributes to the magic of Christmas.

One of the many treasured things about Christmas is that it can bring family members closer together. For Alexis, it brought her and her uncle particularly close.

“I had kind of mentioned [getting a projector for Christmas] to my uncle,” Alexis said, “who used to work in making projectors. I had said, ‘Do you have any ideas [about which one I should get]? I’m considering asking for one of these.’ Then, on Christmas, he was like, ‘Alright, I got you one, good luck.’ It was really cool because I was close to him [before opening the present], but I wasn’t super, super close. And then, I got it, and it [brought] us a little bit closer. It’s a cool thing my uncle did for me.”

Along with the gift itself, Alexis also appreciates the thought and significance of it.

It is safe to say that Alexis had a superb Christmas. Similarly to Alexis, sophomore Sawyer McCarthy also got a present that he had been desiring for some time now.

“My favorite [Christmas present] was a PS5,” Sawyer said. “This year, I wanted a PS5 because it’s supposedly the best. As a child, I never really had the chance to get one because I was always doing other things, but [now, I] have more free time. It brought joy to me, and I have used it as much as I could. After homework, of course.”

Sawyer is extremely thankful for this gift. Unlike most kids, he has never had a video game console of any sort before this Christmas. 

“As a kid, I never had a single video game console,” Sawyer said, “not even a Wii or anything. Most of the time when I tell people that I have never had a Wii or video game console, they’re surprised, because that’s a staple of childhood, but I’ve only had it a couple [of] times at friend’s houses.”