By: Rachel Frederick

Winter break is the one of the main things students look forward to during the school year. With winter break comes, Christmas, food, family gatherings, and vacations, but for some students, the most fun is found through the winter activities they can finally go out and enjoy! There are so many fun things to do over break, but many do not realize that. It may be cold, but the amount of enjoyable things you can do during break is immense, especially in a place like Warren County, where we have beautiful and snowy winters. You can go skiing, snowboarding, snowmobiling, sled riding and many other festivities. For this holiday issue, The Squire asked Drew Williams, Caroline Smelko, and Cole Chapman about what their breaks consist of, what their holiday activities involve, and what outdoor activities they do for amusement.

     All three students shared with The Squire that hanging out with their friends and relaxing over winter break are some of their favorite things to do. Specifically, Chapman mentioned how he “grinds fork-knife with the bros”, referring to the popular video game ‘Fortnite,’ and Williams agreed. Williams also added that he “gets to hang out with his beautiful girlfriend,” which he says is going to be the best thing about break. Like many people, all of the students interviewed decided that having no school was definitely a perk of their winter break. They get to eat lots of food, stay up late, and then sleep in the next day, and do it all again.

For students and teachers alike, the holiday activities are what many who enjoy a lengthy holiday break look forward to the most. When asked what they love about the holidays, Chapman, Williams, and Smelko all talked about how much they enjoy getting to “feast” throughout the whole day. While food is certainly one of the best parts of the holiday season, many students shared that they also enjoy the giving and receiving of presents that come along with the celebrations. Holiday traditions are something that someone should continue to look forward to, no matter how old you are. Smelko even mentioned that she looks forward to “our annual sibling gift exchange and getting to give my friends their gifts,” which is clearly a special holiday activity she enjoys.

Warren County is known for snowy, long, cold, winters, which lend themselves to a variety of exciting outdoor activities. Reflecting on some of their favorite outdoor activities, the students who spoke with The Squire shared that they still feel nostalgic about all of the outdoor fun they had as younger kids. Smelko says her favorite winter activity as a kid was sled riding and playing with her dog in the snow, and Chapman agreed. Williams enjoyed another aspect of the snow, explaining, “When I was a wee little lad, I used to dig tunnels in the snow banks.” When asked what their favorite outdoor activities are now, Williams and Chapman both agreed just being outside is what they enjoy most. Williams likes to sled ride with friends as well as hunt, fish, and love every day. On the other hand, Smelko disagrees with the enjoyment of being outside. The joy she once found in sled riding isn’t quite the same as it once was, “since I’m old, I do not enjoy doing anything outside in the cold.”

Some fun places to visit during winter break involve ice skating at the Jamestown Arena, skiing or tubing at Peek ‘n Peak or Holiday Valley, go to some hockey games, snowmobiling on backroads, or even just sled riding down a fun, back-road hill. Those are all pleasurable things you could do to enjoy the break. The Squire hopes that everyone has a great winter break and gets to enjoy as much as possible. Whether you are finding things to do on break, following holiday activities or traditions, or having fun outdoors, you can come up with anything and find some joy in it. Make sure to have fun, but always stay safe!