When a student graduates from elementary school they are faced with a harsh reality: there’s no Polar Express days in the real world. Class holiday parties are replaced with grueling finals; the warm and fuzzy feeling of the holiday spirit replaced with overwhelming stress and existential dread.

However, not all teachers are as heartless as their students may make them out to be. In fact, when it comes to AP Lit, a class known for its heavy workload and draining timed writes, teachers Leslie Wakefield and Rudy de la Rosa team together with librarian Lisa Nguyen to give their students some respite from the stress of high school and transport them back to the magical days of elementary school.

“Mr. de la Rosa initially started [the holiday read aloud] because for seniors this time of year is really stressful,” Mrs. Wakefield said.  “[The read aloud] is really fun [because] it takes them back to their elementary days, helps them remember what it was like to be excited for Christmas, and lets them revisit some of those well beloved children’s stories that they might not have read for a while.”

Ever since Mrs. Nguyen took up the position of librarian six years ago, this beloved tradition of the lit read aloud, accompanied by some piping hot hot chocolate of course, has offered seniors a little moment of bliss amid the whirlwind of stress.

“I read the same books every year because they’re classics and everybody wants to hear them,” Mrs. Nguyen said. “I read “The Polar Express,” “How the Grinch Stole Christmas,” and then I read aloud the poem “Twas the Night Before Christmas.””

Mrs. Nguyen also infuses more of the holiday spirit into this magical day by having students compete against each for a Crumbl Cookie gift card in a digital version of an age-old memory game.

“My favorite part [about this] is that students come in and they can just enjoy themselves, relax and have a good time,” Mrs. Nguyen said. “The holidays can sometimes be stressful so it’s just a nice and relaxing day for me and my students.”

There’s no doubt that school can be incredibly stressful, especially for seniors who not only have to focus on their present classes and grades, but are also looking towards the future; filling out college applications or looking at trade schools and jobs. Yet, even in the most stressful of times, students still manage to find happiness in childhood traditions.

“[The read aloud] was  a really nice way to end the semester,” Senior Kate Njeru said. “I feel like it allowed us to go back into our childhood [and] have some fun.”