Dismal storm clouds fill the blank sky as this December screams dreary February weather. Day after day, Michiganders wake up to frigid temperatures and dimmed sunlight, barely getting enough vitamin D to function.

Even though it’s looking like a “White Christmas” in Michigan might be just a pipe dream, the people at FHC are still in high spirits, meeting the rising demand for holiday cheer with endless enthusiasm and giving back. It’s as if there’s an unspoken message between everyone that even though the weather shows no signs of it, the holidays are still around the corner and will be just as extraordinary as other years.

The most impressive show of merrymaking at FHC is the endless stream of volunteer opportunities that students participate in, starting back in November with a blood drive, Operation Santa, and the North(east) Pole Christmas Store. Despite the fact that juniors and seniors are volunteering for NHS hours, I think there truly is a desire to help others through giving back, especially for the holiday season.

While it gets plenty of attention from the community, I think that the student council’s big event of the year — Family Promise— is absolutely incredible in showing FHC all that we can achieve together. Additionally, Family Promise shows surrounding communities that we are here for the long run– for every need, for every bit of much-needed joy, for everyone. This event functions somewhat in two parts, one being the fundraising and the other being buying gifts and working the holiday store they have in early December. Anyone and everyone who participates in Family Promise comes back changed by seeing Grand Rapids in a new light and realizes the extent of our privileges in Forest Hills.

Besides loving the areas outside Forest Hills, the high school is getting some major attention and love. Gone and replaced are the usual, plain decorations, swapped out for glittering string lights and small, decked-out trees. The freshman hallway especially received the most action, with lights upon lights swooping and dipping from ceiling tiles to transform the once-barren hallway into a festive center of mid-winter cheer.

In addition to decorating the freshman hallway, the senior hallway has creative influences as well: senior tiles. Colorful paints, designs, and names shroud the standard white speckled ceiling tiles, bringing a playful energy back into the school.

Regardless of its motivation, FHC’s holiday spirit is in full swing, masking the unimportant lull of winter and transforming it into a time of pure joy and blissful holiday cheer.