It’s that exciting time of the year again! Once Thanksgiving and Black Friday are over, the holiday season unofficially begins. While most of us go out to the ice rink with our friends or have a delicious meal with our families during the winter season, there are others who celebrate the holidays in ways that might be considered “out of the ordinary” for us.
On a global scale, some people might have heard of Japan’s strange Christmas dinner. In the U.S., we usually have fried chicken on a day where we want to treat ourselves. However, in Japan, they celebrate Christmas with a Classic bucket of KFC chicken. This might seem strange to us because when we picture Christmas, Kernel Sanders and his infamous bucket of chicken is probably not the first thing we would think of. Nevertheless, this tradition has been going on since 1947. KFC stated in an advertisement in Japan, “Kentucky for Christmas!” Eating fried chicken instead of the iconic American “Christmas ham” during the holidays is a very common custom in Japan.
At Mills, there are students who have shared their own unique traditions that they implicate every year with their family. One student, who has asked to remain anonymous, stated that their family  has an unusually stressful tradition for New Years’. The famous countdown until midnight and ball drop located in New York City’s Time Square signify the start of the new year. This student’s family counts down along with the Times Square Ball that is broadcasted live on television for the whole country to watch as a renowned part of the New Year’s Eve celebration. However, the last twelve seconds of the year is FILLED with eating grapes for this family. For every second that you count, you eat a grape. Eating twelve grapes in twelve seconds might seem stressful and ridiculous for someone who has never heard of this tradition, but it is a well known custom for this family. Despite the strangeness behind this tradition, being able to eat all of the grapes in twelve seconds gives you good luck to go into the new year with. This is a tradition that is popular among Spain, Latin countries, and some Filipino communities.
Another student’s family plays bingo every year. Although this might seem unconventional and strange as a holiday tradition, playing bingo is something that has become a part of celebrating the holidays in this student’s family. It all started because this family was tired of their bland talks during dinner. This student says that their family is very competitive, especially with each other. Everyone puts money into a pot, and the winner gets to keep all of the cash inside. Playing bingo with a money reward certainly makes the holidays more exciting. Winning the bingo prize could contribute to a New Year’s resolution of saving up money. Holiday dinners and parties cost lots of money to host, so maybe trying to win some money in bingo isn’t such a bad idea after all.

Students aren’t the only ones with unconventional holiday traditions! Every year, freshman English teacher and journalism advisor, Mr. Hensley dresses up as Santa Claus on Christmas Eve to get his kids excited about their presents. Although his children now do realize that it is, in fact, Mr. Hensley who dresses up as Santa, they still appreciate his effort. Dressing up as Santa Claus isn’t an easy feat. According to Mr. Hensley, he stays up until about midnight, running around the house to try and jolt his kids awake. Once they’ve seen “Santa” putting their presents under the tree, Mr. Hensley dashes outside and changes back into his usual clothing. This tiring, but amusing tradition is one that comes from the heart of Mr. Hensley.
While everyone celebrates the holidays, we all have fun little traditions that might seem strange to others, but are completely normal for us. The diversity in customs makes the holidays a special and unique experience for everyone. Although some people’s traditions may not be as intense as eating twelve grapes in twelve seconds, the holidays are a time of family and cheer for all.

The Thunderbolt wishes everyone a happy holiday season and a safe winter break celebrating the new year!