It’s time to dust off the stockings, get out the ornaments with your face on them and start stringing your popcorn because it’s officially December. Everyone decorates for Christmas differently (I personally don’t string popcorn), so keep reading to find out how Royals and teachers decorate their homes for Christmas.
Freshman Brigid Hunt and her family get a huge head start on all things Christmas. The day after Halloween, her dad gets out the decorations and makes her home feel so cozy. Brigid spoke to a fun tradition where her mom would hide a pickle ornament on the tree. Brigid explained, “Whoever finds it first can open the first present.” That sounds like such a fun way to begin opening gifts!
On the teachers’ side, Ms. Mangold always has the cutest decorations in her classroom, and I’m happy to report that her decorations at home are just as amazing! She shared that her house is festive both inside and outside. Her family even gets creative with themed Christmas trees; from Haunted Mansion to Harry Styles, these trees are so fun and unique.
Next, sophomore Hailey Huerta and her family definitely get into the Christmas spirit with all their decorations: “Outside, we have a snowman by our front door, reindeer on our lawn, candy canes along the walkway, twinkly snowflakes in the tree and icicle lights going around the roof.” Wow! Hailey even decorates her room with lights and a mini-Christmas tree. One special part of these decorations is that each member of Hailey’s family owns a Christmas tree candle holder from each of their first Christmases. How cute!
Mrs. O’Campo ’02 splits November between Thanksgiving and Christmas: her Christmas lights go up at the beginning of November along with a turkey lawn decoration. However, she does wait until after Thanksgiving to put up the rest of the Christmas decorations. Her house has all the classics: festive pillows, an Advent wreath, a nativity scene and so much more. But that’s not all, because Mrs. O’Campo adds some fun Lego decorations for her kids, who love Legos!
This next house is very notable because Lexie Curtis ’27 and her family won the spirit award for Yorba Linda’s Christmas decoration contest last year. I can understand why they won, because not every house has inflatable reindeer, a hand-made “Santa’s Stable” sign and a 20-foot-tall Santa (not to mention the inflatable Olaf with a cute “Please don’t feed the reindeer carrots” sign). I’m sure that Lexie’s house is just as festive on the inside too.
Mrs. Grasz sets up a wonderfully vibrant Christmas tree in her house with one especially touching ornament in remembrance of her mother. A few unique things found in Mrs. Grasz’s home are a snowman-themed bathroom and a sound-activated dancing Rudolph that always seems to scare her cats. Mrs. Grasz shared another fun fact about her Christmas decorations saying, “I LOVE nativity scenes and have about five around my house.” It seems like Mrs. Grasz’s house is very well-balanced between fun and meaningful holiday décor.
Similar to Ms. Mangold, Michaela Watson ’26 and her family put up multiple themed Christmas trees. “At one point, we had eight different trees!” Michaela explained. Michaela and her mom both love a themed tree whether it’s candy cane, New Year’s or Disney themed. One specific tree stands tall with red, gold and black colors representing all her sisters’ school colors. Michaela’s family even puts up cardinals around the house for her sisters’ college mascots.
It seems like the Christmas spirit has definitely hit the Rosary community and their families. Hopefully, some of these festive decorations inspired you to put up your stockings and garlands. Whether your house looks like it could belong in Santa’s village at the North Pole or your family prefers a more minimalist style, everyone should deck the halls this Christmas season!
