The holiday season is here, and Oswego tradition is that it is up to all members of the community to decide how the holiday cheer will be spread – but uniting the community is at the heart of the season.
The Oswego village and the OH community have many popular holiday traditions like the Thanksgiving Feast, the Christmas Walk, the BIONIC gift wrapping, and the all-staff holiday spirit week.
With a large smile, OH Reaching Independence through Structured Education (RISE) educator Amy Mcllvain said the holiday season gets “better and better” each year.
Holidays around OH
For 15 years now, the OH holiday kickoff is the Thanksgiving feast before Thanksgiving, and this year it’s a bit more special. It is planned with many people, including Mcllvain, Tom Dwyer, who is the primary culinary chef, and his culinary classes.
Mcllvain said “incorporated [the] new collaborative culinary class, where [they] created a dessert for everybody to have.”
Some new traditions may start up as well. For example, April Ponte, an OH student council sponsor and counsellor, and Anne Sweeney, an OH student council sponsor and social studies teacher, share the festivities they are planning this year.
“We will be having our traditional spirit week [[…]] the week before finals and TBD on what the themes will be, but they will be fun and festive to get us into the holiday spirit as we get ready to go into finals,” said Sweeney.
Aside from their traditional spirit week, this year they are planning the first-ever Holiday Christmas movie night on Fri., Dec. 12, in the OH Aux Gym.
“It is free, but you have to pay for concessions, which will also help another club at OHS, so the money goes back to them,” said Ponte.
Ponte and Sweeney both agree that the major planning portion is the promotion of these festivities.
Additionally, an email was sent out to OH teachers reminding them of all the winter holidays coming up, and encouraging them to celebrate all other holidays that are not only Christmas to increase inclusivity. They included a slideshow with different activities they could add to their lessons to celebrate all winter holidays.
Holidays around the Oswego Village
Laura Finch, a Director of Marketing & Customer Service of the Oswego Village, describes the plentiful activities of the holiday season in an interview via Gmail. These include the Holiday Market, Candlelight Yoga, classic family traditions like building a Gingerbread House, a journey to the “North Pole” to meet Santa, and a live radio play by talented local actors called “It’s a Wonderful Life,” which are all planned by the dedicated team of Recreation Supervisors.
“We’re committed to providing meaningful, enjoyable experiences that help make the season special for our community,” said Finch.
The Christmas Walk is a very special and well-known celebration in the area. OH senior Arda Simsek said that besides the gathering in Prairie Point during New Year’s Eve, it was the only celebration that he knew of in OH and the Oswego village.
“I like how they have a bunch of people there; there is just a lot of spirit,” Simsek said.
Feelings of the community
The OH and Oswego Village both put forth an effort to make the holiday season special. Simsek said that these events “[bring] people together, especially during a time like that, and it… unites the community.”
It is safe to say the planners enjoy it as much as those participating in them.
“These events bring joy and a little magic to the season,” Finch said.
Although Mcllvain and Finch both think everything is great about these holiday festivities, Simsek, Ponte, and Sweeney express some concerns.
“I wish to see more people participate,” said Ponte simply.
Given, some people do not know about these Holiday festivities around the school, Mcllvain, Simsek, Ponte, and Sweeney all had no idea about more than two other festivities going on. For this reason, Simsek, Ponte, and Sweeney feel that Oswego can do more to contribute enough to the spirit of the holiday season.
“We can do more, especially with our downtown and how small it is,” said Simsek.
As seen by Finch, the village coordinates many activities, but it seems that they are not known enough.
“We give them the opportunity… people just have to take that,” said Sweeney.
With all the amazing opportunities going on this holiday season, it is important to reflect. How will you contribute to the holiday cheer and unite the community this holiday season?
Hi! I am Stephanie Mayorga, a staff reporter and Spanish Section Editor for 42Fifty. I am a Junior and am excited for my first year in 42Fifty! You can contact me by emailing 42Fifty@sd308.org and putting my name on the subject line. We welcome comments on our articles and feedback on our publication!
