The countdown until winter break begins the second students return from Thanksgiving weekend. The Christmas spirit is in the air with last minute Christmas shopping, holiday songs playing on the radio, and most importantly the time ticking down until the last school bell rings before the long-anticipated winter recess.

However, those who don’t celebrate this holiday do not share the same excitement leading up to the time off. Although having over a week off of school is still exciting for all, those who celebrate other holidays don’t have the extra event to look forward to during break.

“I think winter break revolves around Christmas because it just so happens that the dates match up,” junior Rachel Quinn said. “Hanukkah is eight days so to accommodate both could be difficult.”

With West Essex having a large Jewish population, the question of having off for Hanukkah is extremely relevant. Jewish students and facility have to attend school every day during their celebration of Hanukkah while those who celebrate Christmas have off on for the holiday and other days to follow.

“I love having off in December because it really gives us a time to relieve the stress that school puts on us,” junior Amelia Gendel said. “But since I don’t celebrate Christmas, I don’t really have exciting activities planned for the break.”

Students have varied opinions on the topic and whether West Essex should reconsider its winter break situation.

After constructing a poll of 100 students, 65 percent said there should be some sort of time off for Hanukkah, taking into consideration that the holiday lasts multiple days.

Although many prefer to have off, those who celebrate Hanukkah became accustomed to celebrating the holiday while still participating in their everyday routine.

“Coming to school isn’t terrible honestly,” junior Sammy Friedman said. “We mostly just celebrate at night, but I feel like we could make it a bigger deal and spend more quality time with our families if it was part of the break.”