As the holiday season approaches, students, staff and their families begin counting down the days to start their holiday plans. The two-week break is not only the longest of the school year but also the transition from the first to the second semester.During this time, people celebrate the holidays, the new year, travel and spend time with family and friends.
Many students use their winter break to relax at home, focusing on quality time in the house. Being in the house for the holidays may seem like a boring use of time, but for some students, it stands as an important period of rest from the tiring school year.
“I actually have a Winter Guard practice during the break, so I’ll be doing that,” FHS junior El Liu said. “Then I might try to do some work around the house since my mom has been asking me about that. Not really anything specifically, I don’t think my family is doing any trips. ”
Other families plan exciting and adventurous vacations across the globe. These trips require families to prepare way in advance. In some destination spots, there are excursions to explore such as surfing, horseback riding, skiing and secret beaches.
“I’m gonna spend time with family and friends,” FHS sophomore Liam Callahan said. “Go up to Tahoe probably.”
Tahoe is a popular spot for Bay Area families due to its close proximity. Though it is a windy road, the drive from Sunnyvale is only around three and a half hours. Tahoe during the winter has snow and fun winter activities such as snowboarding, skiing and sledding. Popular resorts include Heavenly Mountain Resort, Palisades Tahoe, Kirkwood Mountain Resort and Northstar California Resort.
Others may go the opposite direction towards Southern California which includes Hollywood, amusement parks and beautiful museums.
“Aside from typical family stuff, a friend is coming into town so we’ll get to spend our version of Christmas together,” FHS teacher Robert Javier said. “And then for the second part of the break, we actually decided to go to Southern California, including some time in Disneyland.”
Theme parks such as Disneyland decorate their parks for the holiday season. Locally, Great America hosts a Winterfest with activities, food and photo opportunities.
Everyone can look forward to winter break and the numerous plans and activities made as inspiration to finish strong. Regardless of whether someone chooses to remain home and unwind or go on a fun family vacation, winter break will be a great end of 2023 for FHS students.
