Pacific Index

How Pacific Professor’s celebrate the winter holidays

   ‘Tis the season for finals cramming and holiday spirit across the tired halls of Pacific University’s campus. Wrapping up a semester of endless assignments, late night study sessions, and new adventures. Jointly, students and staff pack up their books for the short winter season to celebrate the holidays. But in such a diverse community like Pacific, everyone celebrates in a different fashion, nurturing unique traditions from family to family.

   To celebrate this holiday season, I had the privilege of sitting down with some of my favorite Pacific professors to talk about their favorite traditions from their childhood to now. Despite their dissimilar upbringings, they shared one major thing in common- the holidays to each of them centered around togetherness. “For me in particular, all I care about is having everybody together; those are my most amazing memories, everybody together during the holidays,” expresses Media Arts Prof. Enie Vaisburd. Originally from Brazil, Prof. Vaisburd grew up Jewish, celebrating Hanukkah during the South American summer. It wasn’t until she moved to the States and met her husband that she started celebrating both Hanukkah and Christmas. “We do a whole thing in which we celebrate Hanukkah and all its traditions, and then on the 25th, it goes to all Christmas for the whole day,” explains Prof. Vaisburd, a tradition she has passed down to her children. She smiles broadly as she talks about the sensations associated with her family’s unique traditions, mentioning the enchanting visual light display from the candelabra, the smell of freshly baked latkes, and all the other smells and tastes of holiday cooking. But what she mentions time and time again throughout the interview is that her love for the holidays revolves around being with her family.

   Likewise, Prof. Michael Huntsberger knows what a large family holiday looks like. As the youngest of five kids, Christmas traditions were already established within his household. Prof. Huntsberger said in his childhood house, all the bedrooms were upstairs, “so the tradition was, nobody could go downstairs in the morning ‘til my dad had gone downstairs and turned on the Christmas tree.” With a grin on his face, he recalls the story of getting one of his favorite presents, a spring-loaded cannon, which he fired at the Christmas tree, knocking down multiple ornaments. He says his father also loved English traditions, prompting his family to cook a Christmas goose. Later in life as a husband and father, he talks about how his wife’s dislike of football on the holidays brought their family closer. “We have found other things, more family-oriented things to do rather than sitting around the TV. And as time has gone on, I’ve actually come to really enjoy that because it means we’re spending time with each other instead of staring at a box.” Some of these things include Christmas hikes, holiday musical performances, and home cooking, to name a few of his family’s favorite holiday activities. “It’s a real good time; I love the winter holidays,” boasts Prof. Huntsberger. 

   Another Christmas enthusiast, English Prof. Jenna Thompson, chatted with me about how her family celebrates. As a girl, Christmas reminds her of lying under the tree listening to Nat King Cole’s “Chestnut Roasted On An Open Fire,” while the smell of apple cider hung in the air. Now, holidays include baking cookies with her sister and mom and watching Die Hard with her sons, who subsequently eat the cookies. “My mom is a big gift giver, so she has passed down that tradition; there is really no option.” She says it’s a ”losing battle” trying to suggest alternatives because gift-giving is part of her family. Her only solution is keeping it as simple as possible. “So every time I would open another thing, I would just tell myself, This is because my mom loves me, so it’s not about the things; it’s my mom’s love,” notes Prof. Thompson. 

Ultimately, the holidays wouldn’t be the same without the people who make them special. The memories of being together with your loved ones will last longer than the gifts you receive. Happy Holidays!