Ahh, Christmas time… a beloved time at Montrose! It all begins with decorating day just a few days after we return from Thanksgiving break. Some would call that too early, others would say it’s too late. Personally, my family puts up our decorations on the very first Saturday of November, so I’m not one to judge. This year, the tradition of pole decorating returned. Last year, which was a weird one, the cafeteria was the homeroom of the juniors, so poles weren’t decorated by each grade. 

Soon after decorating came Secret Santa week, which is happening as we speak. Day one was candy and baked goods… Some received massive bags of their favorite candy, while others received other sweet treats. Students were recruiting their friends to deliver their gifts, so the beginning of every school day involved tracking students down, and delivering the gift… at least for me. Yes, somehow, last year, I ended up delivering a boatload of gifts, and continued this, being like a post office worker. I may not always look like I’m enjoying it, but trust me, I’m having a blast delivering gifts!

Along with Secret Santa, there are also Christmas Grams being delivered by the Montrose upper school a capella group, The Treblemakers. Basically, a “Christmas Gram,” is something that you can purchase, where you pick a song and a recipient and The Treblemakers sing them a Christmas song of your choice. The sounds of these Christmas songs have echoed throughout the hallways beautifully as the Treblemakers deliver their Christmas Grams, which will happen throughout the week. 

Of course, we can’t forget about Christmas skits. This year, performing them live for the school on the stage in the A&A has returned, whereas last year we had to pre-record them during our Student Life blocks, before and after school, and during lunch. I’m excited to have the tradition back to normal because naturally, seeing the skits performed live is much more fun and festive, and it’s also much more fun to perform them on the stage, instead of in front of your class representative’s phone camera. Overall, Christmas this year at Montrose was very different from last year, due to COVID. However, all of the traditions brought tons of magic and specialness into the school! 

Kristina Klauzinski ’24, Staff Writer

24kklauzinksi@montroseschool.org