Professor Holiday Traditions
By: Shelby McCormick
Photographed by: Yolanda Diaz
With the holidays soon approaching, we asked professors around George Fox University (GFU) what their holiday traditions are:
Ryan Dearinger: History
Every year, Dearinger gives out Christmas cards to all the students in his upper division history classes. He has been keeping this tradition for the last sixteen years.
Melanie Mock: English
Mock says she does the usual holiday traditions of going to a Christmas Eve service, opening up a Christmas Eve gift with her family (matching PJs), and having a dinner of appetizers, which Mock says is “the best kind of dinner.”
On Christmas morning, her family opens stockings, has breakfast and then has dinner with family.
“Kinda boring in the scheme of things. But I suppose what makes any holiday tradition special is that we get to do those things with the people we love,” said Mock.
Sue O’Donnell: Psychology
“Generally, after church, we light the candles on the mantel and turn on the fireplace,” said O’Donnell, describing her holiday traditions. “In the old days when the kids were home, we would have cheese and crackers and summer sausage, and watch the Grinch. We opened a present on Christmas Eve and played Christmas music and watched the cats play around the lit up tree. It was sweet and calm, and wonderfully meaningful. After the kids went to bed, Sam and I would usually finish up wrapping the presents and put them under the tree from “Santa.” Since Sam died and the kids have grown, I still do many of those things with friends, although the meal has become breakfast-for-dinner instead. I have an amazing waffle recipe.”
Angie Taibbi: Kinesiology
Taibbi has several notable holiday traditions. She usually starts off the season with what she calls “Christmas Palooza” by spending time with friends and searching for the perfect tree. Taibbi explained that she loves to find the perfect tree. “I scour the whole tree farm…There’s been great ones, sad ones, spider infested ones, tall ones, wide ones…never quite the same, but I love the smell and bringing nature into my home. The smell and lights make the whole month better.” They usually end their day with warm holiday drinks.
Secondly, Taibbi said she married into the Crab Pot tradition. This involves covering a table in plastic and dumping the boil full of all kinds of seafood, sausage and corn out on the table to dig into.
Lastly, Taibbi bakes christmas cookies with her mom every year. They bake the same family recipes and make them into gift boxes to give out. “I always learn something new and as my parents get older, and we now have three generations in the kitchen baking together, I appreciate this simple tradition more than ever,” said Taibbi.
Pete Rusaw: Mathematics
Rusaw said he and his life group started a new tradition: a giant free garage sale for students. “The idea wasn't simply to simplify our lives, it was to bless college students, who often don't have a lot of extra money, with the chance to obtain gifts for people without the financial burden,” said Rusaw.
“Another thing our family has done in the past was to roll up money and attach a note. Then we would give away the money at church, but the note said the receiver had to add to it and give it away. We called it ‘A gift with a string attached,’” said Rusaw.
Rusaw also described one year his family had a list of challenges to complete together like climbing a tree and taking a picture or asking a stranger a fun question.
“Once a youth pastor, always a youth pastor,” said Rusaw.
Pete Rusaw photographed by Yolanda Diaz.
Paul Shelton: Business
Shelton said his family decorates for Christmas the Friday after Thanksgiving and orders pizza for dinner. “We have always bought Christmas ornaments as souvenirs during our trips so we put these on the tree and reminisce about our family trips,” said Shelton.
Todd Curtis: Engineering
Curtis said that the last few years he and his wife take shears out to the backyard to trim cedars, firs, rosemary and holly and make their own wreaths with their clippings.