The first snow day brought a smile to everyone’s face and, obviously, lots of snow. Whether you enjoy the snow or not, it was a day off school, something that everyone needs once in a while. The winter months can be bleak, cold, and bring barren scenery unless the beautiful snow coats everything in a serene white. Winter sniffles and dry hands can also bring you down in the dumps.
To others, hearing “snow” or “winter” makes them want to bounce up and down. Winter means all the activities specific to the winter months, whether it’s school related or just in general. Snow on the ground means cozying up, fireplaces, fuzzy sweaters, no school or a delay. Whichever way you feel, you can always make these winter months at least a bit more enjoyable.
Not sure how? Read below for ideas from your fellow students, a few Pinterest links, and a few ideas on what you can wear, listen to, do, eat, and drink. The end has some extra holiday questions to put you in the holiday spirit!
What Am I Going to Wear?
When you imagine winter, you think of scarves, hats and gloves, and soft clothing. Many of our MLHS students and staff know all the ins and outs of staying warm, so we decided to consult them.
- Ingrid Witty: Loves to bundle up with blankets, while also having her room chilly.
- Elizabeth McNaughton: Turtlenecks and stripes (a perfect combo)
- Emma Lynch: Everything that is fuzzy!
- Checka Zorlas: A nice Champion crew neck quarter neck
- Ms. Adams: Boots, with tights or leggings, and paired with a fuzzy jacket or cardigan. Also, she loves to layer things since outside is cold but the school isn’t
- Ms. Seibert: Beloved Scarf from Aritzia, that she describes as a blanket, is perfect for staying nice and cozy
- Lily Whang: Classic leggings and a sweatshirt are good!
- Maya Kalapatapu: Fuzzy gloves to accompany her on her long winter walks.
Ugly sweaters are also special to the holiday time, and yes, there are Hanukkah ugly sweaters too! Want to join the Ugly Sweater Club? Look below for some images!
Alia McLaughlin’s (’22) purr-fect Christmas sweater! 
Ella Harris-Hohne’s (’19) amazing sweater that proves that penguins love Christmas too!
Food!
Food is always a must and the trademark of holidays. It is a time for stuffing your belly with all the delicious food that you would associate with the holidays. Eggnog, cookies, ginger bread, hot cocoa, fruitcake, you name it. You wouldn’t be eating candy canes and drinking hot cocoa in August, would you? Unless you’re Olaf from Frozen. If you are looking for some mouth-watering recipes, then look down below!
We have recipes to help you stay nice and cozy and about 51 recipes from THE Betty Crocker herself!
What about for those cold days, where you need some comfort food? I got you covered!
But, what do MLHS students love? Good thing we asked them!
- Emmett Infante: (Because of his Italian relatives) Risotto or
strueful Checka Zorlas : (who is Greek) Classic Spanakopita, Greek cookies, baklava- Mimi Zavras: (who is also Greek) Likes to eat sausage meatballs that her mother makes
- Savannah Sutter: Her grandma’s lasagna and escarole
- Ms. Adams: (who comes from a German family) Spaetzle and “a mean veggie soup and a mean vegetarian chili”
- Sofia Giustozzi: Pre-Christmas sugar cookies, lobster gnocchi, meatless lasagna, and meat pies
- Mr. Gilgur: Classic Latkes and some deep fried jelly donuts
- Sarah Beck: Cheese fondue, that her mother makes
- Annabelle McGinley: Sharing a meal of Chinese food with her family
- Livia Ludlam: Big breakfast with her family, where her grandma makes this casserole with bread custard
- Becca Wasserman: Everyone brings something for family dinner and Grandma makes a Christmas bread
- Rebecca Reagan: French Yule log cake
We obviously can’t forget about everyone’s favorite: hot cocoa. Many people associate winter with hot drinks, if you didn’t get the vibe yet. Hot chocolate is associated with a mug sitting in front of a window sill, steaming in front of a snowy picturesque scene. That sounds great and all, but if you want to up your hot cocoa game or give your taste buds an early C
Looking for some hot drinks with a twist? We got you covered! We’ve also got recipes for some unique drinks if you don’t like hot cocoa. Here’s the inside scoop on what some students deem to be their favorite winter drinks:
- Maya Kalapatapu and Tracey Peng: Green tea!
- Kyla Hunter: Loves a nice cup of ginger tea (she disputes this claim)
- Ella Harris-Hohne: Peppermint Mocha Frappuccino
- Lily Whang: Hot chocolate with whipped cream, shaved chocolate, marshmallows, and a peppermint stirrer
- Rebecca Reagan: Makes her own hot chocolate with some dark chocolate mixed with milk, cinnamon, vanilla
Christmas Classics!
Ahh, what’s better than sitting in front of a cozy fireplace, munching food, and watching A GREAT show or movie? What can be better than that? Here’s a list of must-see Christmas/winter movies that you need to watch and the schedule of when all of the Christmas movies are coming your way. Christmas and holiday movies are a favorite, but if you are looking for any suggestions, students at MLHS really know all the ins and outs of all the movies to watch for Christmas, just one click on your remote to the Christmas movie channel and you will be mesmerized.
- Casey Covart: enjoys watching the newest Star Wars movie every Christmas Eve with her brother
- Emma Lynch: reruns of a Christmas Story
- Mr. Gilgur: likes to watch the new years eve edition of the Twilight zone, the animated Scrooge, or the Scrooge with Bill Murray
- Jake Troisi: Elf
- Cullen Fagan: Cartoons and A Year Without Santa
- Kat Terhune: Elf or How The Grinch Stole Christmas
- Ms. Seibert: Love Actually
- Ingrid Witty: horror movies and horror comedies like Tucker and Dale vs Evil or Supernatural
- Mrs. Connors: Home Alone
- Rebecca Reagan: How The Grinch Stole Christmas or romantic comedies on Netflix
Holly Jolly Music
Some have already begun listening to holiday music since August, but assuming that you haven’t, go pop in a CD, or your Spotify playlist, or Pandora etc and just have a blast! We have some Hanukkah songs, some jazzy Christmas classics, some piano instrumentals, and some wonderful covers by everyone you love. MLHS students also listen to some great songs and they want you to know about them!
- Kyla Hunter: Sia’s holiday album
- Ella Harris-Hohne: “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” by Judy Garland
- Logan Pincus: “Baby It’s Cold Outside,” “Santa Claus is Coming to Town”
- Josh Caso: “O Holy Night,” “How Many Kings”
- Checka Zorlas: “December” by Ariana Grande
- Mimi Zafras: “Santa Tell Me” by Ariana Grande
- Rebecca Wasserman: “Sleigh Ride!” (from the MLHS Choir)
Activities for the Festivities
Maybe your mother doesn’t want you to be watching all that TV, and wants you to find something else to do- we’ve got you covered too! Here are some activities to really bring winter to you.
- Go on a photo shoot! Doesn’t have to be a fancy camera, just go out, with yourself(ie) or with a friend to take some totally
instagramable pictures. - Catch up on some sleep: because we all know what sleep deprivation can do (and if you don’t, go read the article we have on the Mountaineer)
- Read a book: Ahh, a good book is a nice treat, be sure to pick a book that you will be sucked into. Read it near your fireplace, near the window sill with a nice fuzzy blanket, or your bed!
- If the roads aren’t
too icy, go window shopping or just walk around town! There’s nothing better than looking through all the windows with strewn lights and wreaths on the light post, to get you in the holiday spirit - Bake cookies! The smell from the oven will make you not regret your decision, homemade or those Pillsbury ones (pictured above)
- Spend time with family members: during our busy schedules, a snow day or the holidays are a perfect time to spend time with family members
- Play in the snow with your dog- dogs always get so excited when they see the white fluffy snow that they are dying to jump
on, or eat! - Take a nice winter walk or go ice skating!
- The city has many sights for everything that your holiday heart desires, from ice skating at Bryant
park or Rockefeller, to all the lights, the ornaments, and the big trees. Christmas is all around in the Big Apple! - Have a holiday song dance off
- Make a gingerbread house (and you can make that into a contest)!
- Go to the Winter coffee house! You will not regret it. There are all kinds of performances, and because it’s in the media center, it offers a nice and cozy setting. It is a great night filled with laughter, music, and being awed by the different talents.
Some Q&Sleighs
We asked some MLHS Students & Faculty some pretty random questions, and hopefully these will get you in the nice, festive mood!
If you were Santa and you had cookies left out for you, with milk of course, what would you want the cookies to be?
- Annabelle McGinley: Oatmeal raisin
- Livia Ludlum: Classic chocolate chip
- Kat Terhune: Homemade chocolate chip
- Sarah Beck: Snickerdoodles
- Emma Lynch: Peanut butter chocolate chip
- Ms. Seibert: any cookie with frosting and sprinkles or a classic sugar cookie
- Lily Whang: sugar cookies with sprinkles and frosting
- James Peterson: Samoas, Mallomars
- Mr. Krumholz: Chocolate chunk
- Rebecca Wasserman: Hot chocolate cookies
Are there any holiday traditions that are unique to your family?
- Casey Covart: Advent calendar in the shape of a tree that their mom fills for each of her and her siblings with candy, gift cards, etc
- Jake Troisi: Celebrates big party on Christmas eve with his family
- Sofia Giustozzi and her family always bang pots every New Years Eve, and they also have a big Christmas party
- Holly Petrie: Put on skits for her family with her own written play and songs that she likes to sing
- Elizabeth McNaughton: Going to the city on New Year’s Eve but not Times Square, she goes to other places in the city
- Mrs. Connors: Christmas pjs and books that they exchange and her granddaughter gets an advent gift every Sunday
- Lily Whang: Lighting the menorah
- Ingrid Witty: Picking the Christmas tree with her family
Whether you enjoy the winter seasons or not, there is something for everybody. Whether it’s the seasonal foods and drinks, a warm fuzzy sweater, or just the holiday season that bring those certain vibes, winter has something for everyone to enjoy!
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