The holidays are here, and two of the most celebrated holidays among students at Patrick M. Villano School are Christmas and Hanukkah.

Carter Ostroff, a fifth-grader, celebrates Hanukkah with traditional foods.

“The best food around this time of year is definitely latkes because they taste really good,” Ostroff said.

Latkes are little pancakes made out of potato. Latkes were first made in the 1800s in Eastern-European countries such as Poland and Ukraine. After many crops failed to survive, people planted a lot of potatoes because they were cheap and easy to grow. They became very popluar, according to PBS online.

Ava Samuels, another fifth-grader, agrees that latkes are the best food during Hannukkah.

“My favorite food is latkes because they’re a good delicious treat, but my favorite part of Hanukkah is lighting the candles. I like this because it’s fun it lit them and use the menorah night light which lits up a candle with a press of a button,” Samuels explained.

Lighting the candles is a Hanukkah tradition. According to the History Channel online, enough oil to keep a menoarh lit for one day miraculously lasted for eight days. This is why there are eight days of Hanukkah. One candle is lit each day.

“My favorite part is probably when all the candles are lit because it looks really pretty,” Ostroff added.

Michael DiBono and Jamie Whitney celebrate Christmas which is on December 25. The History Channel online states: “Christians celebrate Christmas Day as the anniversary of the birth of Jesus of Nazareth, a spiritual leader whose teachings form the basis of their religion.”

“I love Christmas because I really like Santa, Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, and the presents,” DiBono said. “My favorite dish around this time is probably milk and cookies because my family doesn’t really feast on Christmas Day or Eve but also because it’s a pretty traditional snack.”

Both holidays have a tradition of giving gifts.

“The best present is a VR [virtual reality] headset because it’s a cool experience even if I have to share it with my sister,” Samuels said.

Ostroff and DiBono also rank technology at the top of their list of best presents.

“A mini speaker because it’s a good, nice-functioning speaker,” Ostroff said.

“Definitely a P.S. 5 [Play Station 5] because it’s really fun, and I use it a lot,” DiBono stated.