Winter Dorm Traditions
By Ellen Jin, Allega Lai, CJ Smith, and Leo Zhang
The two-week period between the Thanksgiving and Winter breaks is often one of the most stressful times for Exonians. Most teachers try to squeeze in one major test or essay, seniors finish and receive news about their college applications, and Exonains overall frantically try to manage classes, sports, and extracurriculars until break.
Due to the high demand of these two weeks, many dorm faculty try to organize holiday-themed bonding events to alleviate stress and build camaraderie among the community. While every tradition varies by dorm, some common events include Secret Santa and dorm parties. Students and faculty both generally enjoy these traditions, as they are a way to readjust to school after Thanksgiving and allow students to get into the holiday spirit in preparation for winter celebrations.
Instructor of English and Main Street Hall dorm head Tyler Caldwell described his experience with Angeling. “We held an Angeling event during the final week of school in December. The proctors created a list for a gift exchange; students could opt out but most opted in. We gathered in the common room, and the person receiving the gift got three guesses for who gave them the present.”
Main Street lower Norman Rice explained further. “Each person has a $25 budget to buy a gift. The best gift I’ve ever received [during angeling] was a Nerf water gun.”
Angeling is not the only tradition that Main Street hosts. “During the winter term, we also participate in dorm bowling and we host a dinner in the common room on the night of the Super Bowl. These two traditions have been around longer than I have been in the dorm — maybe around 15 years,” Caldwell said.
Wheelwright Hall residents also participated in Angeling, but with a bit of a twist. “The fun thing is that you can’t use any money, so you have to be more creative, like making playlists or making them a piece of art in the design lab,” senior and proctor Grace Nivera explained. “There’s also one day where you decorate your angel’s door or a poster for day students.”
“This year we did something new, we had a little holiday corner: we had a Christmas tree, a menorah,” Nivera continued, “it was just a cute space where people could put their own ornaments and inject a little cheer during the cold winter.”
Wheelwright prep Amelia Post also shared more about the creative ways gifts were given. “I was super happy with my Angeling gift. She made me a workout playlist because she knows I like going to the gym. And it was so perfect. And I do listen to it,” Post shared.
In New Hall, lower Ava Helbig and upper Mav Murray describe their experiences with Angeling in a new dorm. “We did it by floor because our dorm is massive,” Murray explained. “I wish they would have done it as a whole dorm. I think that would’ve made it more fun.”
“I think the thing about New Hall is we’re such a new dorm,” Helbig said when asked about improving dorm traditions.
“Soule and Abbot have this tradition where they play football against each other in fall term. I think that those kinds of sportsy traditions like dorm competitions between each other — I think those are fun,” Murray added.
In addition to sports competitions and snowball fights, students in Abbot Hall participate in Secret Santa. Lower Steven Chen described how it works. “Every person is assigned to another person right before winter break starts by the proctors. Throughout winter break and up to a week or two after winter break ends, students are tasked with either making or buying a gift.”
“Typically, most people buy gifts for their assigned person. Then one night in the church’s basement, it’s all revealed. After a person opens their gift, they’ll read a letter written by their Secret Santa and they’ll try to guess who their Secret Santa is,” Chen continued.
Despite only having two years of Secret Santa, Chen has received several meaningful gifts. “In my prep year, a lower gave me a funny stuffed animal elephant because they’re my favorite animal,” Chen said. “The letter that came along with it was really heartfelt. In some parts of the letter it made fun of me, but it was really personal and that’s what I liked about it. I could tell that they spent a lot of time thinking about what they were gonna write and it wasn’t generic.”
From Amen Hall, upper Zuzanna Szul discussed the impact of these traditions in the community. “I think it’s a good way of meeting and forming connections with more people in the dorm,” Szul said.
Webster dorm head and Science Instructor Michele Chapman concluded by adding her insight regarding the importance of these traditions for students during hell weeks. “Hell weeks or not, winter term can be tough with the long hours of darkness and the cold. It’s important to have fun as much as possible!”
