Winter break is an ideal time to rest and recharge for the remainder of the school year. Everyone has different break traditions, so let’s see what some members of The Chomp did over break!
Over my winter break, I was unfortunately sick, but even then, it was still nice to be with my family. It was my kitten’s first Christmas, so it was adorable to watch him have fun looking at the Christmas lights and playing with the wrapping paper (though it got annoying at times!). This was also the first time my sister has been home for Christmas since I was in 7th grade (I’m a junior now!). Overall, it was a really nice Christmas and winter break, despite being sick.
– Hazel Foster, Managing Editor
This winter break, I took the time to listen to the entirety of The Great Gatsby Broadway musical. I know absolutely nothing about the book, but I’ve become a big fan of Jeremy Jordan this year, so I had a few of his songs from the musical in a playlist of mine. Immediately, I found myself entranced by the music variety, and desperately wanted to check out other songs from the musical to see if they’d hit the same. Spoiler alert, they did! While this doesn’t sound like the most exciting experience, I normally spend my winter break relaxing and doing nothing at all, so it definitely was to me.
–Yareli Garcia, Senior Copy Editor
I spent my winter break unwinding from the stresses of school and spending time with my loved ones and friends. Right before break, I became insanely stressed out as I had numerous tests, quizzes, and readings to do, crammed up to the last moment. Break was my recharge, finally. I spent New Year’s Eve and Day with four of my friends sleeping over, two of whom are out of my district and people I don’t see very often, making it a great reconnection. We exchanged gifts and spent the entire evening energetically hanging out. I also had enough time to watch a whole show throughout the break– a ‘90s anime called Revolutionary Girl Utena– and play a ton of Minecraft with my friend group. I had a lovely break, rested up plenty, and made some lovely memories.
– Ace Smith, Senior Copy Editor
Over winter break, I had an excellent time, taking a break from all the work and stress from school, seeing my extended family I don’t see too often, and honestly having the time to just sit around and not have to be productive. While I didn’t do too much, one highlight of my break was actually on the very first day when my uncle, my cousin, her boyfriend, and I all went on a little excursion we call “sneaky weasel.” This excursion has been a tradition among us for the last few years and it gets its name from sneaking up to the top of the Loews Hotel in Philadelphia—a super fancy hotel we have no business being in—to get the best views of the city we can. We also do other things around center city, like seeing the not-Macy’s anymore (Wannamaker) light show, and every time we see city hall saying, “did you know that city hall is the largest free-standing masonry building in the world?” (Thanks, Dad!)
–Desmond McCue, Sports Editor
My winter break was mostly spent doing everything I don’t have time to do during school! I picked back up several books, slept, went outside, and spent a lot of time crocheting. My family has a tradition of going on hikes on holidays, specifically Christmas and New Year’s Day. Our New Year’s Day hike was incredibly icy, so we had to be really careful not to slip, but overall it was fun. Over break, I also finished three crochet projects and nearly finished two more. Winter break gave me more time to be creative and was a much-needed reset after the fall of my senior year. And while technically not over Winter break, I also went to Longwood Gardens to see the Christmas lights!
– Abria Joshua, Editor-in-Chief
I spent my winter break with my cousins! Near the end of December, my cousins came to America for the first time! My entire family picked them up in Philadelphia, and I got to meet them in person for the first time! I knew what they sounded like, as I would always play with them online. We’d play games like Minecraft and Roblox, and when we played Minecraft, I’d always beg them to make me a house as I had no clue how to. It’s crazy that now they are living with me and I get to see them daily. Right now, only my girl cousin stays with us while her brother is at another family member’s house. But I don’t mind it, I never had siblings but now I get to kinda experience that! So I honestly think that this was my best winter break ever, and I don’t think anything can ever top it.
–Deanna Khan, Staff Writer
Over winter break, I visited the Camden Adventure Aquarium to celebrate my little sister’s birthday! Upon arriving, the aquarium was packed with people, but we still made the most of it. We were able to pet stingrays, starfish, and bamboo
sharks. We saw various exhibitions of marine life and went into the shark tunnel. By the time we got to the shark bridge, my sister chickened out, and my younger brother wanted to show her how brave he was. He ran across the bridge (only when there weren’t people in front of us), only to get spooked by it shaking! All in all, the day went well, especially since my brother didn’t throw a fit for not being able to stay home. Everyone in my family was happy with the outing, and my sister was overjoyed spending time at the aquarium on her birthday. My favorite part about the adventure was taking pictures with the camera I got over the summer!
– Viktoria Syvanych, Staff Writer
