Do you prefer Christmas or Halloween holiday? Well, they are both very fun to look forward to, however, my personal opinion is that Christmas is a better holiday for multiple reasons. Two Neuwirth scholars also share an answer to this question based on their own opinions.

Fall season has begun, meaning Halloween is very close to making its yearly debut. Many people are already feeling the presence of Halloween. They’re already shopping for decorations, buying inflatable Halloween-themed characters for their front yard, the silly and spooky costumes that arise every year, pumpkin for pumpkin carving contests or pumpkin pie making, visiting pumpkin patches, and horror theme parks.

Children look forward to Halloween as an excuse to dress up and fill their bags with goodies, candies, treats and dress up as their favorite fantasy characters.  Halloween is a way for people to celebrate the changing seasons. Therefore, many people end up liking Halloween as a fall-related holiday.

Although these kinds of activities may seem enjoyable to many, I can arguably state that I do not enjoy Halloween as much as I enjoy Christmas. I favor Christmas and the winter season in general because it is a time to bond with your family at peace, tranquility, and an overall state of happiness. In winter, students get a three-week break for Christmas and New Year, where most of us spend this break at home comfortably, watching movies, and drinking warm drinks like hot chocolate.

I asked two fellow Neuwirth seniors the question "Which holiday is better, Halloween or Christmas?"

Jasmin Garcia, 12

“Many people don’t like Halloween because it’s scary and horrifying, on the other hand Christmas is full of joy and happiness around your family members.It’s nice to give presents to others as well as receive them. You also get to decorate a christmas tree and put it up with your family to create beautiful memories together. During Christmas, your entire family gathers together which fulfills your heart since you don’t see them often.” 

Ashley Morales, 12

“In my opinion Christmas is a better holiday than Halloween because it’s an opportunity you get to spend with your loved ones and value their presence. Christmas to me has always been a time where I truly understood why I love the people I have around me. Although Halloween is also a holiday you get to gather around with family, it still doesn’t build the bond and natural values you can have with a person. For example, Christmas represents unity and it also creates an environment to spend time with your family and it helps communicating with them as well as appreciating them deeply. This has always made me feel safe and comfortable with the people I'm around. School and work can be very stressful so having a couple of weeks where you can talk to the people you enjoy while knowing those people will be there for you is extremely important and a great feeling to experience. In my experience I know what it feels like to have family problems and it can be very difficult, but when we would spend Christmas together all my problems would go away and would make me feel so valued and safe with my family. Those little moments are the most we have to appreciate. I’ve always preferred Christmas over Halloween for these reasons.”

There you have it, two detailed opinions from two scholars at Neuwirth Leadership Academy who, unsurprisingly, also have similar opinions and views on Christmas just like I do. Halloween isn’t a holiday where you get to spend time with family, it is just a time where parents take their children trick-or-treating and dress up as fantasy characters but it’s definitely not a time where your family can all demonstrate love to each other. Christmas, however, is the greatest time when families gather together to celebrate that they all have each other and a time to demonstrate their love for one another. So, why be in favor of celebrating terror and wickedness over love, enjoyment, and gratefulness?

Overall, Christmas is a time to be grateful for the gift of life and the life of your loved ones around you, and most importantly it is a moment to create joyful memories with the most important people in your life, and not to mention,  giving and receiving gifts is also a very exciting activity to do during Christmas. On the other hand, Halloween might seem fun for children because they don’t quite yet understand the importance of having a loving family in their lives. Children get excited for Halloween just because they get to dress up as their favorite characters which is fun for them. However, one day they will grow up, their mindsets will change and they will realize that Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year.