EDUCATION

December Celebrations Center on Family

By Ian Halperin

Throughout the world, December is a time for celebrations steeped in customs and traditions. From Kwanzaa and Hanukkah to Christmas and Boxing Day, families across Wylie ISD will be sharing the special times that we each hold dear. While the origins of these holidays may differ, they all draw people together around food, fun and fellowship.

“Mental health experts tell us that holiday traditions are an important part to building a strong bond between family and our community,” said Reggie Bibb, Wylie ISD director of diversity and inclusion. “They give us a sense of belonging and a way to express what is important to us. Holiday traditions are particularly important for children.”

Shari Sanders, who has children in Wylie ISD, sees Hanukkah, The Festival of Lights, as a way to share their family’s traditions with her children’s classmates.

“We enjoy sharing our holiday with others who haven't had a chance to experience it,” Shari said. “While the kids were in elementary school, I would visit the class to read a story about Hanukkah, show how we light the menorah and then teach everyone how to play the dreidel game.”

Abish Dominguez was born and raised in central Mexico while her husband was born and raised in Texas. They have five children, with four still in Wylie ISD schools.

“In our home we have a mix of traditions; we have kept our Mexican culture but also celebrate our American culture,” says Abish. “It’s important for us to share these traditions with our children because that helps them understand who they are, where they come from and, in the future, to be able to pass those traditions and culture to their own children.”

One of their Mexican traditions is getting together with extended family to celebrate the holidays and have a mini “Posada.” “Posadas” are Mexico festivals to commemorate the journey Joseph and Mary made from Nazareth to Bethlehem. People go from house to house, singing songs (like Christmas caroling) as a way of asking for shelter like Mary and Joseph did. Homes typically have large nativity displays where they have prepared a manger to lay down “baby Jesus.”

Even though Hanukkah is centuries old, Shari believes the message is relevant today. “It reminds us to be the light in the lives around us and in our community. It also reminds us that the flame can endure, with enough energy to survive difficult days. With the light comes hope, and that hope is renewed every year at Hanukkah.”

For both the Sanders and the Dominguez families, the messages of the holiday extend beyond the celebration.

“One of the most important traditions we have and love doing every year is taking meals, hand warmers, gloves and blankets to the homeless,” says Abish. “We feel this is more of a blessing for us and our kids than the little we do for our fellow men.”

For the Sanders family, it’s volunteering to work for those who celebrate Christmas so they can be home with their families.

However your family celebrates, Wylie ISD wishes you all the best. Happy holidays! •