TODAY'S TOPIC: We asked if you and your family have any special ways of observing Hanukkah, Christmas or Kwanzaa.

My traditions are the regular as everybody else's. We buy a tree (Christmas tree). We decorate it. We don't open our presents till the morning and that's about it.
Alyssa Mixon, 10
Live Oak Elementary
Castaic

I celebrate Christmas and every Christmas the fire is on in the fireplace. Also, every Christmas I bake chocolate chip cookies with my grandma and serve them to my family. I hang up the stockings over the fireplace. I always help my dad put the ornaments on our Christmas tree. Every Christmas my mom helps me make Christmas cards and I send them to my best friends at school. Also, I leave five more cards and send them to special people: my grandma, my aunt, my great-grandma, my uncle and my baby cousin. I also help my dad on the roof. We put little Christmas lights on the roof.
Krystal Alvarado, 10
Oxnard Street Elementary
North Hollywood

We have a few traditions we do on Christmas Eve and Christmas. Our relatives come over and we have a big feast. Then, my sister Kendall and I get to open one present. Doesn't matter how big or how small it is. It could even be the size of our heads if we want to. Everybody is yawning and wants to go to bed. Now my tradition! I wake up at 2 to 5 on Christmas morning. I don't know how I do it, I just do! So it is Christmas morning and no breakfast! Just cookies. Each year, my parents hide two ornaments, a pickle and a potato. Whoever finds them is the winner!
Morgan Kaiser, 10
Live Oak Elementary
Castaic

I celebrate Christmas by putting up a Christmas tree and decorating it. We also set up little people playing in the snow on a table. We go to our aunt's house. She throws coins out for everybody to gather.
Sarah Gutierrez, 8
Sacred Heart School
Lancaster

I celebrate Christmas with my family at home. A week before Christmas, we make tamales of chicken, pork and strawberry. We also make empanadas from yams. Before we cook the masa for the empanadas, we sprinkle sugar on top of it. On Christmas Eve, we open out presents that my dad and mom bought for us and we eat tamales and empanadas we made. On Christmas Day, my two brothers and I wake up at 4 a.m. and wait till it's 7 a.m. and we go see what Santa Claus brought us. I can't wait till Christmas Day1
Misty Angel, 10
Oxnard Street Elementary
North Hollywood

What we do is that we go to any of my aunts' houses and then we bring all the presents and we open them at night. What we have to eat is tamales. When we bring the presents, we do not let the children get them because then they will rip other people's presents. So, we call their names so that they could calm down. So, when we call their name, they come up and we take a picture with the person that gave them the present. After that, we pray for Jesus because that is when he was born. After that, me and my cousin will make a dance. So all our family will get happy.
Ailin Gomez, 10
Oxnard Street Elementary
North Hollywood

Christmas in our family is like a big parade. We always have to put our sweat and blood into our tamales. We would make them with our cousins. Every 20 minutes or so, we take a break. We jump rope on our breaks and try to beat the record of 211 jumps. After we make our tamales, we settle down and take a long nap. When it turns out to be the day of Christmas, me and my sister Kathryn always have to be the first ones up. We go downstairs and try to find out what we will open. Last Christmas I got an Ipod Nano. Anyways, when we are done opening presents at my house, we go to my grandparents' house and open even more presents. After a few hours, we go to my aunt's house and open presents. But the day before all that, we decorate our Christmas tree. My favorite decoration to put on the tree is the 5-inch gingerbread man. When I was little, I used to try and eat it.
Victoria Prendiz, 10
Live Oak Elementary
Castaic

Christmas is almost here and everybody mostly has a tradition to go somewhere. For example, I always go to my uncle's house. My aunt and my mom make tamales and something else called posole. What I really like is when my family comes and starts watching TV and eating tamales. My whole family stays there until one o'clock because at 12 o'clock we start to open our presents. They stay an hour later because they drink my mom and aunt's horchata. It comes out so good. Then my family starts to say bye to everybody and they leave.
Oscar Garcia, 10
Oxnard Street Elementary
North Hollywood

At Christmas, we make tamales and pupusas. I help with the tamales. I put the meat inside the tamales. For dessert, my mom makes a delicious apple pie and a chocolate cake. My grandma makes horchata and tamarindo.
David Gonzalez, 10
Oxnard Street Elementary
North Hollywood

Our traditions are when we open our presents in the morning at 8. We also get our stockings filled with candy and we drink eggnog like crazy.
Gerhardt Jurgens, 10
Live Oak Elementary
Castaic

I celebrate Christmas because I'm Christian. When I was little, I thought Christmas was all about presents and candy canes. As I go older, I understood why we celebrate Christmas. We celebrate Christmas because Jesus was born on that day. Happy holidays!
Samantha Gandarilla, 10
Live Oak Elementary
Castaic

Christmas traditions are important. One tradition I always have is decorating the Christmas tree together with my family. We also do a "Secret Santa," which is when you write names on a paper and for the name you pick, you buy them a gift. But you don't tell them you are buying the gift. Another tradition is we always open our gifts at 12 p.m. on Christmas Day, not like other people I know that open theirs at 12 a.m. because they are so excited. My family always comes over and we have a little party. Happy holidays!
Jennifer Puga, 10
Oxnard Street Elementary
North Hollywood

Every year my family gets together and gives each other gifts. Fifteen to twenty people come to my house. We open presents after we eat. We put them under the Christmas tree so no one would trip. We decorate the Christmas tree with ornaments, doves and angels. Merry Christmas.
Grigor Dzheyranyan, 10
Oxnard Street Elementary
North Hollywood

For Christmas we get to open one present but it can't be a big one. We also make cookies and put them on the table with milk. We buy this stuff, it's like food for the reindeer, and we put it on the grass. The next day, we open our presents and have a little party. For the adults, we put all the adult names in a hat and we pick a name and whoever's name you pick, you have to buy them a gift. It's all very fun.
Ciara Vente, 10
Live Oak Elementary
Castaic

Every Christmas we always go to my cousin's house and my mom brings one of her lasagna over there. We would always open our gifts at midnight and we would open our Secret Santa gifts. I would always help give out everyone's gifts. I like going there because I see all my cousins, relatives and friends. Also, I like eating pumpkin pie or I could eat my cousin's favorite lasagna when I get there.
Justin Ostrea, 10
Live Oak Elementary
Castaic

My tradition is we celebrate on Christmas Eve. We give the presents to our family members and put them under the Christmas tree. We also make tamales for Christmas. We usually do it in my house or in my uncle's house. We buy gifts for all our family members, even our two dogs, Pickxy and Dickxy. We buy a lot of things for them. We put a lot of things and lights in our house. We decorate the living room and the dining room. On Christmas morning, we open our presents. I like opening them. Since we don't have a chimney, we put our stockings on a wall.
Lucy Cortez, 11
Oxnard Street Elementary
North Hollywood

My tradition for Christmas is we invite our family. After we eat tamales, chicken and beans, we all sit at the table and tell knock-knock jokes. Then we put on music and dance. All our family likes to dance. After that, my cousins play tag. When it is close to being 12 o'clock, we turn on all the Christmas lights and start to hug each other. We also begin to sing "Jingle Bells." When it's 12 o'clock, we open our presents.
Debora Soto, 10
Oxnard Street Elementary
North Hollywood

COMING UP: Do you like rainy days? Tell us why you like, or don't,when it rains. What happens during recess at school on a rainy day? What activities do you at home? Draw a picture of what you do on a rainy day.

Parents and teachers should make sure that the student's name, address, age and school are CLEARLY PRINTED on the letters and the backs of drawings.
Pictures should be drawn using black or dark blue ink on white, unlined paper.

Drawings must be no larger than a standard, 8 1/2-by-11-inch sheet of paper.

The deadline is Dec. 11 and letters will be posted Dec. 18. Letters received after the deadline cannot be considered.