The holiday season is a magical time of year … Christmas tree lighting ceremonies and ice skating rinks start popping up throughout the city! A great way to stave off homesickness is to have a party. ESN-LA recently held its annual Cookie Swap. Students and teachers brought in homemade and store-bought cookies to share and the room was decorated with snowflakes, garlands, and white twinkle lights.

To add to the festive environment, students organized a Secret Santa gift exchange. After opening up their gifts, they tried to figure out who had given them the present! Who doesn’t like unwrapping a gift?

The party also included a screening of the Level 2 and 3 film, “The Muse.” The film was developed, shot, and edited by the Collaborative Film Project elective students. This offered us a glimpse of the creativity and vision of ESN’s students. Watch out, Hollywood: “The Muse” might be contending for an Oscar! And the winner of the Golden Spatula Award was Gina, an ESN instructor.

After enjoying some holiday music, food, and friendship, students walked away with plates full of cookies to fuel them through Final Exam Week! See you next year, everyone!

What are some other great ways to celebrate the holidays? Share your ideas in the comment section below!

Vocabulary

stave off (phrasal v.) – stop something from happening

Secret Santa (n.) – a common gift-giving event where a group of people randomly pull names of another individual, buy a gift, and give it without revealing their identity

festive (adj.) – cheerful and related to celebrations

annual (adj.) – happening once a year

glimpse (n.) – a quick look

Oscar (n.) – the golden statue given at the Academy Awards, which celebrates excellence in film