What this Season Holds
Words of Family, Joy, and Tradition
Middle School English Language Arts • Northern Light School December 2025
December 2025 What This Season Holds is a collection of moments and memories; words born in winter and written with heart. Each of the poems in this book are expressions of our gratitude for our family and !iends, for rituals that help us find peace during the season, and for the simple pleasures that bring us joy and foster a sense of wonder. This collection was created with care and tenderness, expressesing how we each experience a sense of closeness to others: Our families gathered around kitchen tables Gingerbread contests between our cousins Snuggled with our siblings watching “Home Alone” The smell of Mama’s tamales in the steamer A magical drive with Grandpa through twinkling Oakland A truly special cultural gathering for Las Posadas Christmas potlucks with Dad’s Rasta Pasta Mom baking peanut butter chocolate chip cookies Dad wrapping presents while drinking eggnog Grandma putting treasured ornaments on the tree The laughter when slicing into the Rosca de Reyes A !iendly game of winter hoops in the backyard... Each moment represents the presence of love in our lives. It is our hope that these poems will invite you to slow down, to listen intently, and to notice mindfully how we as young writers hold memories with care. To us, our poetry is both personal and shared: a place where feeling becomes language, and the season reveals itself through our words. Happy Holidays Middle School English Language Arts Northern Light School • Oakland, California
Table of Contents Title of Poem Author Page All Around Me......... .....................................................Lexy Arias Vasquez 1 On Christmas Eve.................................................................Stella Bennett 2 The Magic of Christmas.........................................................Sydney Bennett 3 Christmas Tree Farm..................................................................Ezra Cross 4 The Shirt I’ve Been Wanting.................................................Kyla Cunningham 5 We Are Together................................................................Betselot Desalegn 6 My Christmas Celebration...................................................Yeabsira Desalegn 7 Rosca de Reyes.....................................................................Jaleo Espinoza 8 Christmas Potluck.................................................................Michael Flood 9 Tamales..............................................................................Bryan Garcia 10 Feeling Full........................................................................Douglass Greer 11 Cookies for Santa...............................................................Anthony Griffin 12 Winter Hoops.....................................................................Caleb Harnage 13 Christmas Tree....................................................................Callie Harnage 14 The Love That is Put Into It................................................Audrie Hernandez 15 Dreaming of Las Posadas...................................................Vanessa Hernandez 16 The Contest.......................................................................Aniyah Hutton 17 Gathered..........................................................................Michael Knight 18 Christmas Eve, Christmas Day......................................................Riley Laws 19 When the Fam Gets Together..................................................Landen Marbley 20 Different/Same.........................................................................Tierra Orr 21 The Night Before & The Night After..............................................August Picot 22 Gingerbread Houses...............................................................Jayden Roseby 23 The Best Gift of All..............................................................Ayinde Sankofa 24 Christmas Eve Stockings............................................................Sa’ni Shelby 25 Unwrapping Laughter & Joy.....................................................Maggie Srader 26 This Month of December..............................................................Ellis Suttle 27 A Cozy Winter Christmas.................................................Harold Thomas, III 28 This Christmas Table..............................................................Jacob Thomas 29 Our Christmas .................................................................Kaylei Turrentine 30 My Favorite Holiday..................................................................Titus White 31 The Joy You Spread...............................................................Carter Win!ey 32
All Around Me By Lexy Arias Vasquez, Sixth Grade The smell of Cinnamon pinecones Fills the room Christmas cookies On my tongue Hot chocolate In a mug My dog By my side My family All around me Lights hanging On the house The winter fire Warms my feet I’m excited To walk to see The decorations Down the street I can’t wait for Their arrival When everyone is All around me
We roast Marshmallows My !iends And I On the Comfy couch I read my Bible The smell Of Christmas Dinner All around me We eat Carne asada Chicken With corn Homemade Tacos And plenty More We put on music At the end And they’re dancing All around me
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On Christmas Eve By Stella Bennett, Eighth Grade Clouds Cover the sun Cold noses Begin to run
Ice !ozen On our roof Grandma baking Gingerbread troops
Smoke puffs Out our chimney
The time has come There are gifts To unwrap
Resting on the couch Disney movies On the TV Cuddled up Warmed By hot chocolate And peppermint tea I can’t wait To light up Our Christmas tree Strands of Lights Unraveled Family arriving From near and far Cars roll Into the gravel Driveway
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Bows fly Ribbons unravel Paper tears I am so grateful The day ends Hugs and kisses And the riches Of Christmas My grandparents My loved ones Sydney Stacy And me All together On Christmas Eve
The Magic of Christmas By Sydney Bennett, Seventh Grade This time of the year Expresses a feeling So very rare She tries and tries To not get blinded By the shining lights Faces pass with cheer As she stands there She hugs her mother Oh so tight
We cherish this time In memories In remembrances The gift of family Is so very priceless What can’t be written on paper? You ask I respond The magic of Christmas
The ornaments Study the girl As if they’ve come alive This hallucination Can’t possibly be real The magic of Christmas She hopes to make it Back in time For a Christmas meal
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Christmas Tree Farm By Ezra Cross, Seventh Grade Every winter We get a Christmas tree At a special tree farm An Incense Cedar A !agrant-smelling tree In Castro Valley Next to the tree farm Is a Peet’s Coffee Together we get festive drinks Me, my mom, my dad Sometimes my grandma It makes me happy Spending time together A family getting a tree It smells so !esh And so green there From all the trees My favorite thing to do Every holiday season I love that we do it every year To me it brings The Christmas spirit Our large tree Decorated with lights With ornaments And our presents Nestled underneath
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The Shirt I’ve Been Wanting By Kyla Cummingham, Eighth Grade During Chrstmas morning I wake up To the cold Christmas air Excited I get ready For the day ahead I rush to see Presents Under the tree But I know I must wait For the right Time to come I can’t wait I want to see What is inside The present I hold?
We eat And we hurry So we could start The fun The unwrapping The Christmas lights Sparkling On the tree The lights Delicately holding Every present Underneath its branches I pick up The first present With my name Inscribed I hold it Within my hands
The scent Of chocolate chip cookies Drifting !om the kitchen
I open the present The fabric feels soft And I feel excited This is the shirt I’ve been wanting
Everyone awakes And I know That the time Has finally come!
And I will wrap it Around my arms Like I wrap My family’s love
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We Are Together By Betselot Desalegn, Eighth Grade Christmas Day My siblings And I Were so Eager Enthusiastic And excited We open presents And then We visit my cousin And I realize This is the Very Best Time Of year Everyone Arrives early Everyone Plays games Everyone Looks so happy To just be with Each other
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Sometimes We make brownies And sometimes We watch movies And sometimes We stay up late Very Very Late But we always Always Have fun Because We Are Together
My Christmas Celebration By Yeabsira Desalegn, Sixth Grade On Christmas day I see Christmas lights And presents Under the Christmas tree And that Is a part Of my Christmas Celebration A day Before Christmas My family and I Decorate cookies And that Is a part Of my Christmas Celebration I spend time With family And with !iends And we have A lot of fun
A tradition In my family Is honoring Jesus Because Christmas Is his birthday And that Is a part Of my Christmas Celebration We bake cookies And pull them out Fresh From the oven They warm Up the house And that Is a part Of my Christmas Celebration
And that Is a part Of my Christmas Celebration
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Rosca de Reyes By Jaleo Espinoza, Seventh Grade Sitting at Our Christmas table Having fun Eating food Enjoying life Here comes dessert! Rosca de Reyes We all cut a slice Hoping We don’t get A baby Jesus Three slices Three people Three baby Jesus We all Stay silent Until A burst of laughter My mom My tia And my tio They all Got a baby Jesus!
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Some are mad Others are happy And I am relieved Because I Did not get The baby Jesus After all It’s just A special tradition And I am grateful To have fun with My family
Christmas Potluck By Michael Flood, Seventh Grade On Christmas Day My family And I All have A potluck Everybody Opens Their gifts And eats food My dad Makes his Famous Rasta Pasta The day before He prepares it Carefully When I Finally eat It is Love At First Bite
Rasta Pasta The perfect Companion To any present Just like a Cherry On top of Ice cream sundaes And then Grandma’s Ghanaian cuisine Is what Truly Makes The Meal And Truly Makes My Christmas Day
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Tamales By Bryan Garcia, Seventh Grade A family of twelve We are together at the house Me, Dad, Mom, Uncles, Aunties, Cousins The door is shut, but the windows are open We all make tamales Pork, chicken, beef, corn, strawberry Suddenly, a big gust of cold wind It blows in !om the open window A shiver down my spine, but still I work Ten Tamales down, we keep going It smells like corn And an aroma Of different cooked meats And sweet strawberries My hands are sticky From gooey masa Loud, joyous chatter In Spanish and Spanglish My hands are tired But the love Keeps me going
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My heart is warmed Being around everyone My family My heart is set ablaze Because I only see them Once a year This holiday brings out the best Of who I truly am Two cultures, one love
Feeling Full By Douglass Greer, Seventh Grade Looking out the window I can see My brother My cousins My grandparents They are walking Towards my house While the smells Of food Lead them in through my door The house Almost warmed up The atmosphere Was !iendly Was kind And once they entered I heard Their voices And nice comments Small talk Between family Then I saw All the little gifts All their smiles And their happiness
And I felt The joy That they bring There was my mother Across the table Setting down plates An amazing meal: Fresh crab Tender ribs Flavorful lamb Moist chicken Gooey mac and cheese Sweet spiraled ham Sugary pies Freshly baked cookies No words To describe All the smells All the sights At the end of the day I feel full Not just of sights Not just of sounds Not just of tastes But of love
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Cookies for Santa By Anthony Griffin, Seventh Grade When I Was little Every Christmas Eve I baked cookies To put out For Santa After I went to bed And when I Was asleep My parents would take A bite Of the cookies Christmas morning When I Woke up I would see My cookies Half-bitten
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I used to think Santa Ate the cookies When I Was little And even then After seeing them Half-bitten I would Finish eating The cookies I might Be Grown up But I Love This tradition Because It made me Really Really Appreciate My family’s Magic
Winter Hoops By Caleb Harnage, Eighth Grade In The Winter Of ‘24 Christmas On the way One man Came back And that man Saved my day Quiet nights And quiet days Left me alone Without a !ight But the day That man came back Made my spirit Light up and ignite I remember All the times We used to hoop Until those times All went away
When he went Back to school And he’s returned From where he’s been So now together We can play And I´ll show him All my new moves Moves that will Make him pray I know we’re not blood But hoop brought us closer My older “brother” Who makes my winters warmer He’ll be leaving soon I don’t take this time for granted I have to beat him at hoop And keep my dominance planted
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This Christmas Tree By Callie Harnage, Sixth Grade Christmas awaits, awaits to arrive While I put the ornaments up I’m listening to Mariah Carey I know it’s time Laughs like no other From my mother and brother I glare, or more like stare At a tree we’ve had Since I was three And behind all this There is a little me Waiting for presents Under that the tree But times are different now It’s not about getting presents It’s about receiving the love That is put into the work To decorate that tree And I don’t Take it for granted
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The room is silent, Because we take a moment of silence To remember the ones Who have helped us throughout life The ones that we miss Because they are not here I say, “thank you” Christmas awaits, awaits to arrive And I find peace In the community of my family As we stand under This Christmas tree
The Love That is Put Into It By Audrie Hernandez, Sixth Grade Every Christmas Eve my mom makes cookies And I am full of excitement and joy
Christmas is the next day And I am full of excitement and joy
She’s done baking, and I can smell Peanut butter and warm melty chocolate
Because what it is about Is the love that is put into it
She’s done baking, and I can hear Her taking them out of the oven She’s done baking, and I can see The soft cookie dough And the chocolate kiss right on top She’s done baking, and I can taste I take a bite, it’s so soft as the chocolate melts The peanut butter makes it so much better And I say, “Mom, these are so good” And she says, “It’s not about the taste… …It’s about the love that is put into it” Then we put on a Christmas movie Usually, Home Alone We watch it while eating our cookies And sleepy, we then go to bed
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Dreaming of Las Posadas By Vanessa Hernandez, Seventh Grade On the week of Las Posadas I feel ready to eat The night of Las Posadas I am guessing what food we might have When it is time for Las Posadas I put my coat and shoes on Me and my sisters sing As we are on our way walking Our songs are about Christmas And we sing in Spanish When we get to someone’s house We all pray Our prayers are said To the Virgen de Guadalupe We talk about her We ask her for luck We ask her for strength We pray For a good New Year That lays ahead
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We come together to eat Tamales Pozole Birria The ponche is warm The ponche smells amazing The ponche is sweet on my tongue After we visit houses We drive back home Las Posadas A beautiful tradition Connecting me to my culture I am grateful For a celebration Just Like This
The Contest By Aniyah Hutton, Sixth Grade I wait for a contest yet to arrive On Christmas break We compete Against who might have The very best gingerbread house
When it is time To show off My sister wins But I am happy for her And I realize
I am filled with laughter And with smiles Until– I look to my right My sister’s gingerbread house Is truly unique
People Can be inspired By other people
Her gingerbread house Is about How much She loves herself I smell lavender and mint I hear words I see people I taste !osting And chocolate And strawberry
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Gathered By Michael Knight, Eighth Grade Christmas day Cool outside Joyous inside I wake up early I rush towards the tree There it is! The best gift My eyes Have ever seen Hiding beneath The !esh Snowy Bright Christmas tree I dash For my sister’s room I exclaim “Wake up!” We gather together All of us In our living room
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My mom takes videos As we rip Tear after tear The wrapping paper And then The last gift I slowly open The corners of the paper And in disbelief I realize I had received What I most wanted– Not just a VR headset But my family Gathered together In this moment
Christmas Eve, Christmas Day By Riley Laws, Sixth Grade On Christmas Eve Me and my family Drive around The hills of Oakland We view Beautiful decorations Of all kinds! It is a nice And peaceful drive Before all Of the excitement On Christmas Day Then my family (And I) Go to Scotts A good restaurant (It’s at Jack London Square) And it is filled With Christmas spirit (Especially during the holidays) Their food Tastes GREAT And sometimes Near Christmas Waiters And workers Will go around Singing Christmas songs
A tradition That many people do (But my family Does it best) Is to make gumbo On Christmas Day Normally We make it The night before Christmas So we don’t Have to do All the work On Christmas Day But on Christmas Eve The very best tradition Is that my family (And I) Wear matching pajamas Then we wake up Wearing the same pajamas On Christmas Day Not everybody Has the same Religious beliefs But my family (And I) Thank God And Jesus For another Christmas
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When the Fam Gets Together By Landen Marbley, Eighth Grade When I travel With the fam We spend our time All together In different countries
Though There are Presents And food And things to see
Sometimes The weather is hot And sometimes The weather is cold
The holiday Is special Because the fam Gets together
But what is always The same Is that the fam Is always Together Christmas Is a holiday Where the spirit Of the season Is about being Together
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Different/Same By Tierra Orr, Eighth Grade In December The winter chill Wakes me up As the cold Cold Air Blows Through my window Every December Is different From the last December But always Always A few things Are the same The tree Is new But the ornaments Are the same The gifts Are new But giving Is the same And the year May be new But the joy Is the same
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The Night Before & The Night After By August Picot, Sixth Grade A few hours before A very dark night The children Have All Gone to sleep 11:42 Almost 12 “o” clock It’s nearly About to be Christmas ...some time passes... The children awake! They run outside To have fun together The oldest And the youngest child They just can’t wait To play With each other With new toys ...some time passes...
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The day Comes to an end The hours Of play Come to an end The children are sleepy So they rest Until dinner For nearly Three hours From 7:44 to 10:27 ...some time passes... The oldest Hears a noise The younger brother Is calling him It’s time To go to bed That’s where This story ends
Gingerbread Houses By Jayden Roseby, Eighth Grade One holiday tradition That we do as a family Every Single Christmas Is build gingerbread houses They might Be messy And they don’t Start out Perfect (Although My sisters’ gingerbread houses Are usually perfect)
When we open the box And see the gingerbread And smell the gingerbread I feel warm inside And it’s not Just the spice From the cookie It’s a Truly Joyful Feeling
I just keep trying And by the end Mine Is perfect
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The Best Gift of All By Ayinde Sankofa, Seventh Grade During winter time My mom My dad And I All stay up late Wrapping Each other’s Gifts We do this Every Christmas Eve And this is One Of my favorite Traditions After, we bake Christmas-themed Cookies Sometimes Gingerbread men Sometimes Christmas trees Sometimes Ornaments
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And We only eat them When we go to bed Sometimes I shake the gifts But usually I don’t hear Anything Does that mean Something Is truly in there? Sometimes I estimate By looking At the size Of a gift But a few times I’ve been tricked!
I wake up My parents (Which I love To do Every year)
Our joy Gets bigger With Every Gift
But my parents Do Not Like it
But The best gift Of all Is Our family
They tell me “Calm down!” (But I never ever do) We open Each gift One By One
Christmas Eve Stockings By Sa’ni Shelby, Eighth Grade Christmas Eve stockings A holiday tradition Me and my family Under our tree The stockings All lined up We take each one down And all together We open them One at a time Once they are emptied We make our way To the kitchen We bake cookies And build The best-looking Gingerbread houses Laughter Smiles And joy
Who Will finish first Or fastest Will it be me? Or her? The night Gets later And our eyes Feel tired So we find our way To the TV And watch Christmas movies It began With Christmas Eve stockings And then ends With sleep
A !iendly Competition Between My sister and me
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Unwrapping Laughter & Joy By Maggie Srader, Eighth Grade Christmas Eve A tree filled with Star Wars ornaments From a Galaxy Far, Far away The aroma Of handmade tamales Filling the room With the smells of the season Adults and children Gathered together Around a table A ball Of Saran Wrap Little treats tucked inside Sits on the table Silently waiting Then it begins The ball rolls Around And around The table
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Objects fall out Hands rush to grab them And those treats For both children And adults Start dropping Out Out Out Onto the table The sounds Of laughter And anxious excitement To grab What you most desire Unrolling The Saran Wrap Between your fingers As you rush to open it A tradition Of unwrapping Laughter And joy
This Month of December By Ellis Suttle, Eighth Grade This month of December My favorite time of year My birthday and Christmas Followed by a time to renew This month of December My favorite time of year We go see my grandparents And bake Christmas cookies Different colors Of !osting Adorn the tops Snowmen And stars And trees And gingerbread men We put different Types of sprinkles Like decorations On a tree The end Of one great year The beginning Of another great year Together we spend it Soaking in holiday cheer This month of December
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A Cozy Winter Christmas By Harold Thomas, III, Seventh Grade The great cozy Christmas I open my presents A moment I’ve captured In my mind Over and Over Again
Christmas Feels Like a Reward Just like My coach Rewards me
The smile On my face It remains Even When I Get something I didn’t ask for
I see My dad And My mom Sitting On the couch And They smile
Even if there Were no presents It would be fine Because What really Matters Is the thought That’s What Truly counts I wake up In my home I’m with My parents
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I hear Christmas music Mariah Carey In the background From my heart To my parents I feel joy I feel cozy I feel good To be home
This Christmas Table By Jacob Thomas, Seventh Grade Sitting down At this Christmas table Telling stories Singing songs Reading fables
While experiencing A warm, sweet taste Fruity Chocolaty And sugar cased
Eating food Made with love Worshipping Someone’s birth From far above
Sitting at this Christmas table Telling stories Singing songs Reading fables
Playing, laughing Having fun With food and joy By the ton
You feel joy Happiness And love That’s what happens At this Christmas table
Cold and !osty Out the window Warm and cozy Drinking cocoa Hot cocoa Peppermint Chocolate And more And movies! We’re surrounded By Christmas decor
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Our Christmas By Kaylei Turrentine, Seventh Grade When I wake up I put on Christmas PJs And go downstairs To wake up my parents I feel appreciative When I see presents When I eat food Because we are together I feel sleepy after eating So I take a nap And then wake up To make gingerbread houses I visit more family Their house is full of people Good food we share Cookies that we’ve baked Dancing, music And prayers “Let our next year Be a really good year” We feel grateful so we share We give toys to children Who have no toys We give food to people Who have no food
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Our Christmas is Receiving !om family But also Giving to others
My Favorite Holiday By Titus White, Eighth Grade Every year I set up a Christmas tree I have always liked The way the light Sparkles And how stars Light up the room When my parents Take out the ornament box I dig through For my favorite ornament When the tree is decorated My mom and I Watch Christmas movies And drink milk And eat cookies While my dad Goes out to buy Wrapping paper
On Christmas day I run into the living room And I wake up my grandma Who’s been sleeping So we can open presents Christmas Has Always Been my favorite Holiday (Even when I was younger) Even now I still Get excited And can’t wait For it to happen
At midnight I wake up to see (To sneak) And catch my dad Wrapping presents
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The Joy That You Spread By Carter Win!ey, Sixth Grade In this Very moment As I sit On the couch Next to My mom I watch My brother Open his presents We’re eating cookies Drinking eggnog And It’s a small Christmas It’s just Me My brother My mom And my grandma I hear Holiday music I taste The sweetness of a cookie My mom Opens her present And I get distracted Looking at the tree
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It’s almost Like a dream And then… I notice A handmade ornament It looks exactly Like my family And in this moment I feel even More Grateful And it turns out That Christmas Is not what you get But the Joy That you spread