Spartan Daily

SJSU students speak about their tree traditions

For some college students, the cliché phrase, “It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas,” seems to be overshadowed by the looming stress of finals and the end of the school year.

Visions of candy canes, gorging oneself on Christmas dinner and mountains of beautifully wrapped presents are often put on hold as visions of term papers, all-nighters and studying dance in their heads.

But once the madness has subsided, the holiday cheer can surface with glee.

Part of many people’s traditions are decorating a Christmas tree, engulfing it in lights and adorning it with plastic and glass balls and ornaments.

“The day after Thanksgiving we decorate our tree,” said Andy Terkelen, a senior anthropology major. “We get a fresh Noble (fir), nothing less than seven feet tall.”

Terkelen said decorating for the holidays has always been a big deal in his house.

“We decorate the entire house, do the tree last and then sit down and watch the George C. Scott version of a ‘Christmas Carol,’” he said.

His favorite part of buying a real tree: “I love the smell.” Terkelen said he also has a little fake tree in his room to complement the color palette.

Senior double psychology and biology major Parisa Farsi, said as a Muslim she doesn't practice Christmas, but when she was younger she did have a tree.

"My dad just wanted us to be included," she said. "We had a fake one and me and my little brother would decorate it. After we put it up we would sleep by it."

Open university Sarina Santos said she never had a real tree, but this year, to appease her boyfriend, they bought a "massive" tree.

"We went big," she said. "We have a massive tree, like Clark Griswold sized with thousands and thousands and thousands of lights on it."

Santos said she likes the smell and knowing there is something alive in her house.

"There's something just special about it," she said.

American is privy to a few special Christmas tree traditions.

The Rockefellar Christmas tree lighting event is one.

inhabitat.com

Today, the trees are typically more than 60-feet tall and this year's tree was offered by a Connecticut fifth grade teacher's yard according to the site.