By: Kayla Comried [Executive Vox Editor] @KComried

As the holidays draw near many find themselves spending time with family they haven’t seen in awhile. Families take trips to see grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins, but some have to travel just to see their children. While in high school, many think their family traditions may never change, which may be true, but once kids move out and enter into the world of college things might differ a little.

Mrs. Sherryl Gaffney-Paige, an English teacher at Marion High School, has two kids in college. Not only are her kids both in college, but both are on their college’s basketball team. Morgan Paige is a senior basketball player at the University of Wisconsin, and Marcus Paige is a sophomore player at UNC. Since basketball season and the holidays are both during the winter, it can be hard for Mrs. Gaffney-Paige to see her kids. “We don’t get to see both for Thanksgiving. Last year we spent Thanksgiving with Marcus in Maui, and this year we are spending it with Morgan and Nashville.” Although the Paige family does not come together on Thanksgiving, they do get to spend Christmas together.

Christmas and Thanksgiving are both very tradition filled holidays. People do the same things over and over each holiday season, and many people find themselves looking forward to these special activities all year long. Mrs. Gaffney-Paige looks forward to Christmas because both of her children come home. “They are both going to be home December 22nd, and they will be home for four days. We like to play family feud and eat.” Considering that her kids are only home for a few weeks in the summer and at Christmas, Mrs. Gaffney-Paige really looks forward to this time they will spend together.

So while in high school, enjoy the holidays that are spent with family, because life after Marion is never for sure. No one knows exactly where they will go, and who knows maybe making it home for the holiday’s will be impossible.