International JCS Christmas Traditions

Julian Trzesniowski, Student Journalist

December 15, 2023

JUPITER CHRISTIAN SCHOOL – As we all know, Christmas is a time to celebrate Jesus through the many traditions that we develop.

Seeing how these traditions can affect others, it is important that they are what keep people connected to God throughout the holiday. Looking into the many different Christmas traditions around the world, my family shares some unique yearly traditions that have been brought from Poland and into the US.

Giving insight on this topic, Miki Trzesniowski, who is my brother, talked about how, “Every year our family travels to Poland for Christmas, and we spend time with our grandparents and cousins.” Our traditions are greatly influenced by the rest of our Catholic family. These include things like sharing Christmas wafers or leaving an empty seat at the table for people who are coming by and have nowhere to go.

During Christmas Eve, he explained how, “We pray and do not eat red meat according to Catholic tradition.” Our family eats many different traditional Polish dishes during Christmas. These include barszcz, pierogi, fish, bigos, and many more. Miki talked about how almost every year we go skiing in Zakopane which is a popular destination amongst Poles during the Christmas season.

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All these traditions reflect the true meaning of Christmas, and as Miki says, “It is all about your direction with Jesus and celebrating Him for coming into this world to die for us.” Seeing all the different ways people celebrate this wonderful holiday today, there is no doubt that these traditions draw God’s people closer to Him.

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About the Contributor

Julian Trzesniowski

Class of 2027 Student Journalist

Julian Trzesniowski is a journalist, a part of the student publications here at JCS. He moved here to the US from Poland 6 years ago and from then has been at work persuing a better education than he could have ever gotten back home. Living in Poland, he experienced the good and the bad of the community, and seeing how people can end up if they choose to go down the wrong path, he became aware of his friends and the ways they could lead him. Moving from Warsaw, Poland was very difficult for Julian, as he knew little to no English and was used to the culture that he was surrounded with in Europe. Seeking to fit into this community, he has been drawn closer to God through the many great teachers and staff at here at JCS. But as years passed, he began to miss what life was like back home, not knowing the reason why this change was for the better of his future. Over time, he saw all the great opportunities he had ahead of him and became grateful for what his parents had done for him. He then became known to this culture and soon grew into the great journalist he is today.