By Brooke Kirpatrick

Fall is coming to an end and that means that the winter holidays are upon us.  Whether it’s the decorating for the holiday season, baking cookies, holiday shopping or even playing in the soon to come snow, our favorite festive season is finally here.

Since the holiday season has arrived, that means that our schedules will start to become hectic. With Thanksgiving, Black Friday, Christmas Eve and Day, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, St. Stephen’s Day/Boxing Day, New Year’s Eve, and New Year’s Day all just around the corner it’s time to start your holiday planning.

This year, Walled Lake Schools let out for Thanksgiving on November 24 and then get back on the 28th.  Holiday “winter” break begins on the 23rd of December and then classes resume on the 3rd of January. Most students are upset due to the fact that break is 3 days shorter than in past years. Senior Rachel Mozak said, “Every year we go up north for all of break to see my grandparents, to spend christmas with the whole family, it sucks that we don’t have as long this year.” The shortened breaks have really made a difference in some Walled Lake families’ plans.

With breaks starting, that usually means that infamous winter weather is on its way as well. These first two week of November have been unusually warm with an average of low 60s and high 50s. Our usual snow filled November seems to be on strike this year, answering some prayers.  “In the past few years, we have had some pretty terrible snow storms not just in November but in like late October,” math teacher Kate Austin said. So it must be very shocking we have not seen a speck of that cold, white snow this year.

As the changes in weather happen, holiday shopping is bound to start occurring. It’s no surprise that the malls in the area have already started becoming packed with people. Whether its early holiday shopping or getting a new winter wardrobe. The malls have already started to show signs of sales and future black friday events. Sophomore Angeleena Krawczyk from Walled Lake Western said “I went to the mall last week and it was already crazy busy.”  

With holiday shopping starting that also means checklists getting finished. Junior Christine Wertman from Walled Lake Central commented, “My mom made me go do some early Christmas shopping back in early November. Some prefer to put their holiday shopping off for later. “I started some of my gift shopping for my friends and my sister but I’m leaving the rest of the family to my mom,” Sophomore Paige Loskill from Walled Lake Northern states.