Published December 22, 2022 in The Burg
As famously stated in Dr. Seuss’s How the Grinch Stole Christmas, “maybe Christmas,” he thought, “doesn’t come from a store. Maybe Christmas… perhaps… means a little bit more!”” The Burg asked students at Costa Catholic Academy what does Christmas mean to you. Children in grades Kindergarten through eighth responded. We hope you enjoy their responses as much as we did. Merry Christmas from The Burg!
Kindergarten
Noah: It is snowy.
Miles: It is a gift. I’m excited!
Allegra: It is snow.
Rosie: It is about Jesus, God’s son.
Elena: It is Jesus. Jesus is God. People need to know.
Ryker: It is about God.
Kate: It is Jesus. I love Christmas.
Jaxson: It is about getting presents.
Annalia: It is for Jesus! I love Jesus.
Rylan: It is Christmas.
Rilynn: It is Jesus. It is presents.
Amelia: It is Jesus. I like Christmas.
Oliver: It is about Jesus. I love Jesus.
Juleanna: It is Jesus. I love Jesus.
Madalyn: It is about Jesus. He was a baby.
Jordan: It is about Jesus. I am excited.
Ellie: It is making cookies. It is having family.
Anthony: It is making cookies. I eat the cookies ad I give some to my mom.
Lyla: It is to give presents.
Mack: It is family. I love my dadda.
First Grade
Emily Ferguson: Christmas means a lot to me. I love Christmas! We make fires. I care about others. I celebrate Jesus' birth. I celebrate Christmas.
Lexie Rose Millar: Jesus' birth is on Christmas. I love my family. Santa is coming! I love Christmas!
Sitana Basheer: Christmas means a lot to me. One tradition is being with family. I also love when Santa comes. He comes on Christmas night! I love Christmas!
Gabriel Kisler: Christmas means a lot to me. I love presents because they have my favorite stuff. Jesus' birthday is the true meaning of Christmas.
LovieAn Wise: Christmas means a lot to me. Jesus' birthday is on Christmas. He is the savior of the world. I love Christmas.
Claire Feely: Christmas means a lot to me. Jesus' birth is on Christmas. I spend time with my friends and my family. I really love Christmas!
Cora Marty: Christmas means a lot to me. Jesus' birth and Santa comes! I love my family on Christmas. We have a lot of presents from Santa.
Molly McCarthy: Christmas means a lot to me. We celebrate Jesus’ birthday. I spend time with my family.
Taylianna Hall: Christmas means a lot to me. Jesus’ birth is on Christmas. I love spending time with family.
Kobain Dunker: Christmas means a lot to me. We celebrate Jesus’ birth on Christmas. I spend time with my family. Santa means a lot to me. Christmas means so much to me.
Grayson Knuth: Christmas means a lot to me. We get together with family to open presents. Santa comes to town to give us presents. Christmas is fun!
Elias: Christmas means a lot to me. I like presents because it has a lot of favorite I like. Jesus' birthday is on Christmas!
Jaxon Howe: Christmas means a lot to me. My family has dinner. We celebrate Jesus' birthday!
Second Grade
Ellody: Christmas means family, loving God, and Jesus. It’s nice to do that because he would like it. He really would. I like being thankful for what I have and, oh, I am thankful for how many toys I have in my house. I also pray for the poor people.
Ivan: Christmas means spending time with my family. I like making cookies. I like decorating the tree. And most of all, I love going to my grandma’s house.
Sophie: Christmas means wrapping presents with my mom. I spend time with my family and friends. We like to play. I decorate cookies with my mom, dad, grandma, and papa. We like to put a lot of sprinkles on the cookies.
Tyrisa: Christmas means a lot to me because it’s Jesus' birthday and everybody is thinking about Jesus. Christmas is a fun holiday because you get to sing Jingle Bells and that is my favorite song. I always think about poor people at Christmas time.
Annie: Christmas means loving others and giving to others. Also spending time with my family and friends because I love them. I also love making cookies with my family.
Emily: Christmas means being thankful for the things I have. I like to decorate too. I like to pray, I am thankful for my friends too. I know that it is for giving not getting.
Sam: Christmas means to me love and God and cookies and prayers and cousins and family.
Avery: Christmas is a time of year when I see my cousins and I really like to play with them. I also love to pray to Jesus. I really like to give people presents. I love to go to church and see the pretty lights.
Rowan: Christmas means making cookies with my family. I always peek in my stocking. I love opening presents. I go on a trip every Christmas.
Rihan: To me Christmas means spending time with my friends and family. And I like to make Christmas cookies I like to play in the snow and play with my friends and family.
Riyan: Christmas mean to me that I love being with my family and I play games and I make Christmas cookies.
Ryleigh: Christmas means spending time with my family. I get to see my cousins that I don’t get to see a lot. We sing about Jesus and we pray.
Dominique: Christmas means to me Christmas cookies, pretty lights in the city, and wait for Jesus to come into the world. We also wrap presents and we give them to people. We sing songs, think about God, and get our Christmas tree. Praying for the poor is something I would do.
Gurman: Christmas means spending time with my family. We also make cookies for Santa and us. We decorate our house and we wrap presents.
Lauren: My mom and I like to eat cookies. And we like to spend time together. Mom and I like to visit our cousins. We can be there for a day. We also take my brother to a birthday. And I had fun.
Cora: Christmas means spending time with my family and visiting people who I don’t see a lot. Christmas reminds me of Jesus. To me Christmas means loving people. In December I make Christmas cookies for Santa and other people I know. To me Christmas means giving. I like giving presents.
Devin: Christmas means a lot of things like giving and receiving and decorating the tree, baking cookies and making gingerbread houses. All of it is fun!
Third Grade
Aiden: Christmas means to me joy, spending time with family and friends, singing songs, and making cookies with my mom. It’s also about Jesus and God, love, kindness, and much more. I also love the pretty lights. But my favorite part is giving presents to people.
Maya: Christmas means God, family, friends, giving presents, being thankful, Jesus birthday, Santa (St. Nicholas), and celebrating! Christmas isn’t about presents, but Jesus! Jesus our savior was born on Christmas and we celebrate in different ways. Always love Jesus and yourself!
Bennet: Christmas means spending time with my family and having fun with each other. It means Jesus’s birthday is here. It means our holy savior was born… to save all of us.
Lelunm: Christmas means spending time with family, friends, cousins, birthdays, and giving presents to the poor. Christmas is love, praying, singing, decorations, God, fun, and giving.
Charlie: To me Christmas means spending time with my family, pets, going to my grandma’s house, and playing with my cousins. We eat soup and at 5:00 we open up presents and eat cookies.
Izzy: To me Christmas means spending time with my family, giving presents to people, playing with friends, singing Christmas songs, trying to catch Santa Claus, finding my elf, decorating Christmas trees with my family, and making gingerbread houses.
Katie: Christmas means to me spending time with friends and family, brothers, and sisters, giving stuff to the poor, and being thankful too.
Jia: Christmas means to me spending time with family and my friends. I think of the poor in my free time. I decorate cookies with my mom. I watch Christmas movies with my dad. On Christmas we all celebrate with pumpkin pie.
Ali: Christmas means to me Jesus, God, getting together with family, giving presents to the poor, an elf on the shelf, sing songs at church, I like my church’s Christmas program and seeing family that I haven’t seen in a long time.
Landon: Christmas means to me Jesus and God because they made my family and everyone. I’m thankful for them all. Christmas also means giving. Because it is fun giving. I also like putting up the Christmas tree and that’s all.
Blaise: Christmas means Jesus being born and spending time with family. Christmas also means lots and lots of trips, but Jesus is the main attraction because Jesus was born so that means our savior was born. Now that he has risen to heaven he shall come again to judge the living and the dead. Hopefully my family will hang up Christmas decorations.
Ava: Christmas means it’s Jesus' birthday. It means spending time with family, giving presents to the poor, singing, and pretty lights.
Samantha: Christmas means to me I like giving food to the poor and praying. I like going to my grandma’s house for her birthday. I also like to go to church with my family and giving presents to the poor kids. I like doing Secret Santa. And this year I want to do a gingerbread house. I also like decorating for Christmas and putting up the tree.
Jacob: This is what Christmas means to me: the birth of Jesus and spending time with family and friends. I love getting presents, but that is not what Christmas is really about. Christmas is about the birth of Jesus and giving love to everyone. Everybody loves decorating. It’s part of the holiday spirit.
Sylvia: Christmas means to me giving not getting, spending time with my mom and dad, reading with my mom by the fire and praying for all in need.
Bud: To me Christmas means spending time with my family, going to church, and singing carols.
Connor: Christmas means spending time with family, friends, Jesus, giving, Santa, wrapping presents, going on trips, decorating, presents, and making cookies. Be thankful, give presents, visit family, and be really kind, put really cool and pretty lights up, elves, and making gingerbread men.
Fourth Grade
Isaac Wilson: For me Christmas means to spend time together. It also means to celebrate Jesus’ birth, and how he died on the cross for all of us. My family likes to make sugar cookies, decorate the house, and putting up the tree together. I am thankful for all the things I’ve got.
Anastasia: What Christmas means to me… is special. For me Christmas is not just about lights, cookies, movies, but on Christmas day I think everyone should honor Jesus because he came as a baby to save us all so we can gather because of him.
Gitta: What Christmas means to me? Christmas means decorating the tree, making gingerbread houses, but my two favorite things are the birth of Jesus, and family coming home and spending time with them. That is what Christmas means to me.
Chase: Christmas means to me… is spending time with my family. And it is Jesus’s birthday. Also my mom makes a very good breakfast for Christmas. After breakfast we open our presents. Then go to our grandma’s and grandpa’s house. Last but not least we go to church.
Blakely Dunker: Christmas means decorating my house and spending time with my family. But that’s not what it really means to me. What it means to me the most is Jesus’s birth and celebrating with my family and friends.
Gianna Kisler: Christmas means to me… spending quality time with my family and friends, going to mass with my family and going to my Grandma’s house after and decorating the tree and celebrating Jesus. Presents are also fun.
Aiden Kennedy: What Christmas means to me… during Christmas I enjoy: spending time with my family, and it is Jesus’s birthday, and we should be joyful for each other.
Mary Cruz Godina: Christmas means Jesus Christ, decorating the Christmas tree, getting presents and giving presents, getting together, making Christmas cookies, making gingerbread house or gingerbread houses, and getting presents from Santa Claus, and making a snowman.
Josie: Christmas means spending time with family and getting to know them better. How I spend time with my family is by decorating the Christmas tree, baking cookies, building gingerbread houses, and building snowmen. At school I can’t talk to my sister but on Christmas break we can talk and play all we want.
Clay Gohlinghorst: I am thankful for my family on Christmas. You get to see family you don’t always get to see. I enjoy it when my family and I get to go see Christmas lights.
Fifth Grade
Cora T. Lopez: I was raised associating Christmas with the small things like smells and being with my family. I enjoyed every Christmas I could experience with the people I love. Christmas reminds me of almost freezing, going to pick up our tree and making cookies while we take turns rolling out the dough and cutting it with the shape of our choice. But the things I love the most are the feelings. The feeling of waking up to the smell of a minty tree with handmade ornaments. The feeling of seeing colorful lights hanging upon the rim of your house. The feeling of love as you start appreciating Jesus' sacrifice for you. The feeling of your family, cuddling up beside you giving you natural warmth on a cold day.
When I was younger, once halloween passed I automatically started thinking about when we would get to do fun activities in religion class associated with Christmas. But now, I think about laying by the fire, knowing that I'm surrounded by people who love and care about me.
Thinking that so many people don't get to experience the joy of Christmas makes me appreciate things in my life. From the taste of homemade cinnamon bread to the gifts that God created. I am so privileged to be growing up with things that some people won't be able to have or experience at all. The only reason that I am the person I am today is all because of Jesus' and my family's love. Friends and family really are the only things that you need to enjoy a holiday. Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
Carson Canterini: Here is what Christmas means to me. Christmas is about something that not everybody understands, giving. Just like Jesus gave his life so we wouldn’t have to suffer from sin. Some people are like “ Oh I hope I got lots of things!” but really, they never gave anything to their parents, relatives, or even siblings, they think they just receive, not give. I want people to understand this, Christmas is about giving, not receiving! Also, when you do something like giving, or cleaning up your kindness comes back to you in a way. So it’s better to give, not receive. Just like I said at the start. God sent his only son, to save us from sin. He gave us a savior. The least we could do is give gifts to people. I mean seriously, too much receiving, not giving. Also, you need to understand something very important. You don’t just give gifts to your family, you could donate to charity, or give some other people gifts, they could be small or big, no gift too small to ignore.
Also you should go to church on Christmas and Christmas Eve, these are the best days in December that you should go to mass on. You should also celebrate with a huge feast, like Thanksgiving but bigger. This is the day of the birth of Christ our Savior. Christmas means alot to me because of all these special events that happen during the time of Christmas and Christmas Eve. We all should know this because this is the most important day on Earth. If you don’t know about this day you may just not have a lot of money to celebrate it, or maybe your religion doesn’t celebrate it. I hope your religion does celebrate it though because we wouldn’t be here without Jesus or God. They are the most important people in the universe and in the afterlife.
If you rebel against God you have the rest of your life to repent and give back to him. Just be kind to others and have self respect, please. This is the most important time of the year and everyone should know this. You, your family, your holy family, your friends, your animals, and me. I know and I hope all of the above know too. Everyone that knows and believes in God and follows him and lives in his ways and teachings will go to heaven.
If you just say you believe God, that won't get you to heaven. That's technically using him. So don't do that. Also, you need to learn that just because it is Christmas that not good things will always happen. Like church could get canceled because of high snow. Or the roads are too icy. Those are the only really bad things that can happen on Christmas. You need to speak to God on every holiday and yet every day. Please just tell everyone you know about God and Jesus. So here are some fun facts about Jesus, he wasn’t an only child, he got angry sometimes and he had more issues with church leaders than people in the community. Those are interesting facts. Jesus is the best!
Jaidyn Crose: When Christmas starts appearing it brings me joy. I love Christmas so much. When I think about Christmas I don't think of presents, snow, stocking fillers, Christmas trees, or food. I think of family, celebrating Jesus's birth, and being grateful for my life, and the things I have. Like our needs and wants.
Christmas is a special time that you should celebrate with your family. The presents, stocking
fillers, Christmas decorations , candy, and food are just a bonus for christmas. Christmas is special and we know this because you wouldn't normally have midnight masses and church on a holiday. Also we don't have school for a while for Christmas break we don't have Christmas break to get prepared for presents. It's to spend time with your family and be grateful for the things we are going to get. But when we have Christmas it doesn't mean that we get presents from Santa, the elf and reindeer come.
When it comes to Christmas you really have to think deep down about what Christmas really
means. It's about family,friends, love, and joy. When people say,”have a holly jolly Christmas” they are not saying ``I hope you get good presents'' but saying ``have fun spending time with your family and feeling the warmth and safe feeling that you get on Christmas with them. When you get the time with your family you should take the time to be with them because you never know what could happen to them so you want to respect your family members and be happy as much as you can. So what I'm trying to say is that Christmas isn't about presents, it's about love. MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE !
Alexander Bailey: Christmas means a lot to me and this is why.The main meaning of Christmas is the celebration of Jesus Christ our Lord. And is about love and life and bringing everyone together and love each other more than ever.
Christmas is the day of celebration that brings people together.And is the day of happiness and joy for all. And gifts from each other, everyone in my family comes over for Christmas.And everyone in the family before Christmas picks a piece of paper with someone's name on it and the name you get is your secret santa. And you can’t tell anyone how it is till they get the present, open it and you buy the gift for the person you got out of the hat.
Maci Howe: Christmas to me is not all about having presents to wake up to, it is about spending quality time with my family, helping people in need, celebrating Jesus's birthday, and having delicious food that other families bring. Spending time with your family is very important so they can tell you all the things they have done so they can tell you all about it and share the laughs and joy, not always family but yours, and I the closest friend to! And when helping in need it's not all about being the one who gives gifts away it's about knowing the smiles on their faces, and seeing that it makes you feel like a hero to others.
Fallon Rippstein: What Christmas means to me is celebrating the birth of baby Jesus and many other things. The main thing about Christmas is spending time with family. Christmas isn't just about presents, presents are the part of giving people thanks. It means so much about helping
people in need or spending time with family or someone who is lonely. To me Christmas is all
these things so this is what I think of Christmas. We do all these things and even more such
as playing in the snow. Another thing we can do is help buy food for drives and sharing are things. The whole feeling that you get on Christmas is freezing cold wanting to be warm and
also the festivity. We all have time to forgive people. But the funniest thing about Christmas
is watching your mom go all out on the decorations.
Elena Sanchez: What does Christmas mean to me? Well no one ever really asked me that before, but if you want to know then I would have to say that Christmas is a celebration, a time for giving and simply not a day we exchange gifts. It is a selfless time where we forgive each other. Also, we can take stock of what is important and become better versions of ourselves. Basically, what I am trying to say is that it is about spending time with family and friends.
You may have a favorite part of Christmas. My favorite part is decorating the Christmas tree. Another thing, Christmas is nothing about what you get for Christmas but more about what you give. It is also a reflection of baby Jesus’s birthday, and how he gave us hope, love, and joy to everyone. We celebrate how he died on the cross for us, and God’s love through the world.
Sixth Grade
Brooklyn: Christmas means God to me. Whenever Christmas comes around, a lot of people are happy. You get to have presents and spend time with family, but it’s not all about the presents. It’s as well God's birthday on Christmas. God is an important part in Christmas, a lot of things wouldn’t be capable without God.
Qugnh: Christmas is not something my family ever celebrates we just like a day off. Growing up I always thought during Christmas you get gifts so I did get sad because I never got any. This lead me to think that Santa isn’t real soon I just thought Christmas was like no other day. But last year when I joined this school I think I got to feel what Christmas feels like. Christmas means to me spending time with family or friend it’s supposed to feel warm and happy. Though you might hear this from anyone. For the last two years the meaning of Christmas completely changed for me.
Bryce K.: If I think of Christmas, I think of Jesus’ birthday. But I like decorating the tree, and getting gifts.
Joseph Elacco: Christmas to me means a time to get together with family and celebrate our savior Jesus’s birthday and to give gifts to make others happier and a time of year especially to give to the poor and those in need because sometimes a little for you can mean a lot to others. So a challenge I give to you is to give at least $20 to a charity or a homeless person.
Seth: Jesus, family, food, fires in the fireplace, snow, memories, fun, being with family on Christmas morning, waiting for my dad to finish chores on the farm, opening presents with my siblings.
Kaiya: Christmas to me means being with family opening gifts. Getting all dressed up to go to mass. Playing with my toys and clothes. Going to my grammas house at the end of the day. Opening gifts and eating dinner. Christmas day is such a great day to love each other and celebrate.
Veronica: Christmas means my grandma’s birthday. Christmas means tree flocking everywhere. Christmas means big hugs from relatives I haven’t seen in a while. Christmas means Jesus is here. Christmas means watching my dad shovel the driveway. Christmas means snow days and no school. Christmas means waking up early to open gifts. Christmas means visiting family. Christmas means lots of love and a warm fireplace.
Addyson: Christmas means a lot to me. A day where your whole family is joyful. A day where you wake up to know Jesus was born on this day. It’s a day we show our appreciation to God. By having Christmas meal, getting presents for each other going to mass. Christmas means a lot.
Anonymous: Christmas means to me love, sharing, and caring. Even though my family and me don’t do Christmas. We spend time sharing our love and caring. I go on trips instead of going to put up tree. But this year I’m going to my grandma.
Evangeline: Christmas is a very special time for me. It means I get to see my family and we all get and give presents to each other. We get to see my cousins who live in DC. On the other hand it’s said to be the day Jesus was born, even though he was really born in April. My whole life was a lie. I’m not the type to write about love and kindness and blah. Christmas also means delicious food and a Christmas tree.
Clark B.: What Christmas means to me is the time to spend time with your family. To not take but to give, and to spend time with Jesus. Jesus died on the cross he died so we could live. The least we could do is go to church and spend one hour in silence. Jesus was born around 2000 B.C.
Emma: To me Christmas means family. Christmas is a time for spending time with people you love. It’s a time for celebrating the birth of Christ. It’s a time for praying. It’s a time for singing. It’s a time for baking. It’s a time for opening presents. It’s a time for love!
Tony W.: Well Christmas is a confusing time. But to me, it’s spending time with family. Waking up to a good breakfast. Watching a Christmas movie while opening presents. Seeing family happy and full of joy from gifts you got them then going to give Jesus an hour of your time to celebrate his birthday that’s what Christmas means to me.
Seventh Grade
Brooke: Christmas to me means spending time with my family and helping the less fortunate in this time of joy and celebration. During this time people should be with their loved ones in a safe environment celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ.
Veronica: To me, Christmas isn’t about the gifts and the best decorations, it’s about family, your neighbors, and Jesus’ birth. Christmas is a holiday that’s supposed to bring people together. I love the Christmas season because the holiday brings the good out of people.
Ava Marty: Christmas is a time when family can get together and celebrate Jesus’ birth with gifts, food, and love.
Eighth Grade
Jonathon: Christmas is a time of giving to others. It's a time to be thankful for. To celebrate Jesus' birth. Christmas is a time of rejoicing.
Molly Tomeo: To me Christmas means that I can see my family. It's tough not seeing them all year. I really look forward to seeing their faces when they open their presents. My cousin has the cutest face when she gets a new toy! But my highlight of the season is baking cookies with my Grandmother and cousin. This is what Christmas means to me.
Emily B.: To me Christmas means I get to see my family. I only get to see my grandparents live in Chicago, so seeing them for Christmas is a highlight. My cousin, who’s a year older than me, usually plays games with me and my uncle. My family will also provide amazing presents to me. I enjoy watching them open their presents as well.
Damanjot Kaur: Christmas means spending time with my family. Christmas is when we all get together and cozy near the fireplace. Christmas is when we learn more about Jesus Christ. Christmas is when we give presents and see their happy smiles. Christmas is a very special time.
Emily Edwards: Christmas means having my family all together. Christmas means giving meaningful gifts to my friends and family. Christmas means decorating my house and tree with love. Christmas means watching Home Alone with my siblings. But most of all Christmas means… baby Jesus is born!
Madeline: Christmas means to me joy. Christmas means joy to me because I love to see the smiles of joy when people open the presents. For instance when I bring my grandparents bake desserts that they love. I just love seeing the joy off of their faces when they open them and take the first bite of their yummy looking dessert. That’s why Christmas means joy to me.
Collin: To me Christmas means seasonal flavors. Some of the flavors include: cinnamon, nutmeg, and gingerbread. Another thing it means is getting to see family members.
Evan Emelander: I think Christmas means you sit by a fireplace and open Christmas presents with your beloved family everyone laughing and drinking hot chocolate, telling Christmas stories, and talking about how we are lucky that Jesus Christ came and freed us all from the shackles of sin.