During the holiday season, people celebrate a variety of traditions with their families, and for many students at Berkley High School, this also includes their furry friends. Common Christmas traditions, such as decorating the tree or exchanging gifts, often involve beloved pets. For Hanukkah, lighting the Menorah, praying, or playing Dreidel might take place with animals nearby. This season, many Berkley students have shared how including pets in their holiday traditions has enhanced their celebrations and created more meaningful memories.
Freshman Isabella Riddle has six pets, including “three dogs, three cats, and a bird.” With so many animals, her holiday moments are lively. “The dogs get so excited when we hang up their stockings and give them treats,” she shared. Riddle also finds humor in her pets’ antics: “The cats try to climb the tree every year, and it always becomes a funny challenge.” These complete, as she explains, “Their mischief always lightens the mood at home, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
Sophomores Olivia Riedy and Ava Danescu both look forward to involving their animals in holiday activities. Riedy recalled “Last year [her] dog unwrapped all his presents before everyone else.” She also tries new costumes for her rabbit, saying, “It’s just so cute and brings out a fun side of the season.” Similarly, Danescu finds comfort in her dog’s enthusiasm for “unwrapping gifts and tearing apart boxes.” Both students notice a change in their pets’ personalities during the holidays: “They are more excited because during the holidays, we are home more.” Riedy describes her pets as overall more “happy and excited.” The students agree that these behavior changes make the holidays more fun, because pets become true family members. Danescu adds, “Whether we go somewhere on vacation, we have to think about [the pets] with [their] plans. Because if they go to someone’s house, we can’t be away from them for too long.”
Junior Kara Neiman has a cat now and previously had a dog, while junior Eliana Weiss has two dogs. Both agree that pets set a festive tone. Neiman’s family used to give their dog “a stocking and would have a little sweater [they] would put on him,” while her cat gets more social as decorations go up. In contrast, Weiss shared that her dogs “start barking as [they] sing [their] prayers for lighting the menorah and bring laughter to us all.” Both credit their pets with making the holidays unique: Neiman says, when her dog would “be jumping around all happy, it would boost the family’s emotions.” Weiss agrees, “[Her] pets make it an overall more fun environment.” These experiences highlight how pets enrich the holiday season.
Seniors Arwen Olson and Claire O’Connell find special moments in simple acts. Olson dresses her dogs up in “Santa hats and sends cards out to family and friends.” Meanwhile, O’Connell prepares a stocking for her dog and gives them “more treats than usual.” As a result, Olson commented that her dogs are “kinda confused” by the tree but still get “excited because [they’re] excited.” O’Connell sees her dog as more “curious” and “very goofy” during the holidays. Both say their pets make it special and add to the Christmas spirit, because “they’re just one more person to share special things with,” and it’s “nice to just have dogs around during Christmas time.”
In conclusion, Berkley students share a variety of festive traditions with their furry best friends, recognizing them as beloved family members. Celebrations such as giving treats, dressing up animals, and including them in special rituals make the holidays more memorable. Pets bring joy by allowing families to show extra attention and embrace them as cherished members of the family. The genuine happiness and companionship pets provide are clearly reflected in these stories and experiences shared by students. This holiday season, may you too find this joy in creating special memories with your loved ones—both humans and pets— and may your holidays be furry and bright.
