A part of my identity that I’m proud of is my Italian and German heritage. My mother’s great-grandmother was born in Italy and immigrated to America. My German heritage comes from my dad’s side with my last name being German as well. I love celebrating Christmas with my family and we combine both Italian and German holiday traditions. On Christmas Eve, my family celebrates the Feast of the Seven Fishes, which is an Italian tradition. My family does a variation of this feast every year. My grandmother used to go to midnight mass and their family would have to wait until after the mass to celebrate this feast. They would eat many different types of seafood including squid, anchovy, smelt, clams, and baccala. We also make Italian fried dough each year for dessert after dinner. To represent my German heritage during Christmas, my grandfather makes a type of German cookie called Springerles which require a lot of patience and attention. It is a type of biscuit with a special design. My German and Italian heritage means a lot to me, and I’m happy we continue these traditions during the Christmas holidays.
