Seasonal decor brings holiday spirit to Blair

As wafts of pine tree needles and gingerbread fill the air, stockings by the fireplace are hung up, and ornaments are hauled down from the attic. As we prepare for the holidays, the energy at Blair is electric.

Considering MCPS winter break starts on Christmas Eve this year, Blazers are getting into the holiday spirit before school ends, whether they like it or not. Even though there’s the occasional decoration around school, most of the Christmas magic comes from people’s homes. 

Blair sophomore Paige Bowman and her family have an artificial Christmas tree that they adorn with ornaments that her parents made.

 “When my parents were engaged, they didn't have much money, so they made homemade ornaments, and we put them on the tree,” Bowman said. “We don't really decorate too much, but we do a tree and we just kind of make things cozy, like with holiday candles.” 

Bowman and many other students share the stress of the weeks before winter break, but decorating for the holidays eases the pain a little. “I feel like it kind of prepares me for winter break.It sort of sets a mark for when my days off are coming,” Bowman explained. 

But nobody does Christmas decorations like the Brown family. Blair sophomore Josie Brown and her parents take inflatables to the next level, with almost 70 brightening up their lawn.

 “Well, we started with just two [inflatables], but then when we moved to a house with a bigger yard, we had, like, 25, and now we just buy more every year. And we’re up to 70.” Brown explained. 

These blow-ups range from animals donning little Santa hats to some fan-favorite Disney characters like Olaf and Mickey. “My favorite one is probably one of our big nutcrackers, because it was the first inflatable we ever got.” Brown said. 

Some, instead of decking their house in inflatables, travel during the holidays. Toftaa Fedhaa is a junior at Blair, and she travels to New York every Christmas to see family. Fedhaa enjoys seeing decorations up, even though she doesn’t do them herself. 

“It just really puts me in the mood. But you don't really feel that until you see the decorations.” Fedhaa said. 

Another Blazer, junior Connor Beamon, also enjoys making his house festive. “We just set up a tree, and then on our fireplace we put a little string of garland,” Beamon said. “I like putting up the star on the top of the tree.”

Across the diverse traditions of Blair students, the holiday spirit never stops. Not all Blazers celebrate Christmas, so instead of trees and ornaments, they might get festive by lighting menorahs or spending some time with family. Either way, movies and coloring pages the day before break lift everyone's moods.