SANDPOINT — If you close your eyes, you can picture it.

You can picture everything about it. Everything about THAT Christmas. The one where the snow glistened on the ground, crunching underneath your feet as you raced toward the hill to go sledding.

The family is gathered around the kitchen table, laughing, telling stories, maybe a fire glows in the fireplace, keeping winter’s chill at bay. The magic of the season fills the air.

Laughter rings throughout the cold, still air as snowball fights break out, interrupting the important business of building a snowman. The wind whistles past your ears as you race your sled down a mountain of snow. Shivering with cold despite 20 layers of clothes like the little brother in “A Christmas Story,” you gratefully grab a steaming cocoa with marshmallows oozing into the rich chocolate deliciousness as you stumble inside, stomping the snow from your boots.

The tree — no matter whether it’s a freshly cut pine or artificial one with the lights pre-sprinkled throughout the branches — is laden with memory-filled ornaments, each with their own story of Christmas past; family and loved ones gathered around, carols playing softly in the background. Stockings truly are hung by the fireplace with care, a fire (real or electric) keeps the chill at bay.

Heading off to church for Christmas Eve midnight services, the world silent and quiet as you make your way there, Christmas hymns joyfully sung by those packing the pews.

Then, when all is done and the house is settling down from the hustle and bustle of the day, a plate of cookies and a glass of milk find their way onto the mantle. Each sound prompts a stealthy trip downstairs to see if THAT time it was Santa, making his lightning trek around the world.

That same sense of magic and wonder fill the Christmas memories of students at Sandpoint Waldorf School. For some, it is waking up — over and over again — checking to see if Santa Claus has visited; for others it’s a special Christmas breakfast, surrounded by family, laughing and telling stories.

Below, the students share their favorite Christmas memories, traditions and stories.

Second grade

Ms. St. Pierre — “Having my mom read stories to me on Christmas Eve.” 

North — “One night when we had to stay home because of COVID, we zoomed my family and got to watch them open the presents that we sent them.”

Annabelle — “Leaving a carrot out for Rudolf on my front porch, and finding tracks and a bell the next morning.”

Brock — “Making cookies for Santa and waking up in the morning to find that he had eaten all of them except two for my mom and I.” 

James — “Sledding down our driveway with Mamma, Johnny and Evie.” 

Lincoln — “Eating chocolates and opening presents and celebrating.”

Emerson — “Drinking hot chocolate and watching a Christmas movie on Christmas Eve with my family.” 

John — “My Dad and Alison giving us our bearded dragon Wally on Christmas morning.”

Daphne — “Going to my Grandma’s house on Christmas Eve and opening presents.” 

Nikkos — “Finding a sleigh bell outside and waking up to full stockings.”

Scout — “Sliding down hills on trash can lids, doing kind things for my advent calendar, getting chocolates, and jumping on my parents bed on Christmas morning.”

Adie — “Waking my parents up, cuddling up on the couch and watching my sisters open presents.”

Alsan — “Making an igloo with Cody and spending a night in it.”

Mila — “Opening presents and leaving out cookies for Santa.”

Third grade

Antonio — "Last Christmas I went sledding with my father. It was so fun.”

Miley — "My favorite Christmas memory was when our elf put toilet paper on our staircase and when our elf put toilet paper on our Christmas tree. Another one of my favorite Christmas memories is when I went to my friend’s house and our house had almost no snow, but my friend’s house had a lot of snow. Since our house didn’t have much snow, we didn’t bring our sleds. Another favorite Christmas memory is when my mom said we couldn’t wake up until the sun cam out on Christmas morning.”

Erin — "One of my favorite Christmas memories is when I went to the living room and opened my gifts and ate pancakes.”

Lily — "One of my favorite Christmas memories is decorating the Christmas tree.”

Addy — "One of my favorite Christmas memories was on Christmas night when my daddy and I were in Montana visiting my grandparents. We were in bed listening with the window opened. Suddenly we heard jingling and ho-ho-ho-ing.”

Kachemak — "I remember going to a steep sledding hill. I found jumps — a big jump and a smaller jump.”

Georgia — " Last Christmas, my little sister and brother and I slept together in their bedroom on Christmas night.”

Avery — "One Christmas memory is when our elf tied a ribbon on the stairs so that I could not get past.”

Autumn — "When I wake up on Christmas day, I love coming out and looking at all of the Christmas presents and then I like looking in my stocking and then I love passing out the presents and opening them one by one.”

Rowan — "On the Solstice, we stay up for a long time, until midnight.”

Ariya — " One of my favorite Christmas memories is when we had a fort in the snow and we had two teams and 3 matches. My team’s fort did not last long.”

Kyra — " One of my favorite Christmas memories is when it was really wet out on Christmas Eve, but then on Christmas Day, it was snowy and white.”

Fourth grade

Kai — “Every Christmas I go to my Grandparent’s place to spend Christmas there with my aunts and uncles. My cousin Calin is the hardest kid to get a present for, seriously.”

Blakely — “I have a Christmas memory of opening a present that was a football jersey, that I had wanted all year. I also have a memory of eating a big Christmas dinner!”

Rowan — “Our ceiling is really high, but one year we got a tree that touched the ceiling and we could not put the star on top. So, we had to cut the top of it so we could put the star on — it was the biggest tree we’ve ever had!”

Rosie — “I mounted a horse while it was trotting!”

Winslow — “We always have monkey bread and we always open the stockings first. And then my dada picks a present (not for him!) and gives it to the person it is for. 

Elsa — “What I think is fun about Christmas is bringing family together and making gingerbread cookies with my mom. Christmas is just a wonderful time, I love it so so so MUCH!”

Evelyn — “When I was young, I called rangers strangers. We all sit by the fire and play the card game Kings Corner.”

Marin — “I really love decorating the tree and this year my dad said we got the best tree yet! I just love it so much that we have a tradition where we always have pigs in a blanket and shrimp. It’s always so so so much fun!”

Grey — “Hanging a see through ornament on a big Christmas tree when I was very young.”

Anonymous — “On Christmas Eve I learned how to spell Christmas.”

Anonymous — “Last Christmas, I had lots of fun and will have even more fun this Christmas!”

Sixth grade

Sierra — “My favorite Christmas memory is nothing specific, but every year we adopt a family from the food bank. That means the people running the food bank choose a family for us and we buy that family new shirts, pants, shoes and other items that they like. Then my family and I wrap all the presents and give them to the food bank. It really helps the family because they can’t afford Christmas, so we help support them.”

Tala — “My favorite Christmas tradition is on Christmas Eve we do family activities all day and then for dinner my mom makes homemade sushi. Every year my brother and I try to catch Santa Claus, but it never works. Although, it doesn’t mean we won’t stop trying! On Christmas morning I am the first to wake up then I wake up my little brother and big sister. Then my brother, sister and I rush downstairs to the wonderful smell of Christmas. We go and wake up our parents and while they are waking up we open stockings and then gifts. One more thing on Christmas Eve, everyone gets matching Christmas pajamas. I love Christmas time!”

Sage — “My favorite Christmas memory is the day my dad took me into town to pick out a puppy. I had been begging for a dog the whole year and when my dad and I pulled up to the breeder’s house I was so excited. We ended up picking out a cute cozy puppy that we named Layla and a week later we brought her home.”

Cairn — “The little boy opened his eyes thinking one thing, CHRISTMAS! He scrambled out of bed and ran down the hall to Mom and Dad’s bedroom, meeting his sister on the way. They both jumped on their parent’s bed, ‘Wake up, wake up, it’s Christmas!’ they shouted. Mom and Dad looked up groggily, ‘It is!’ they said in confused voices. The whole family rushed to the tree, saw the marvelous presents and celebrated with smiles on their faces, gladness in their hearts and hope for a Happy New Year!”

Seventh grade

Claire — "My favorite Christmas memory was when our elves showed up and the first time we laid eyes on them, they were in our freezer eating ice cream.”

Baylee — "My favorite Christmas memory is part of something my family enjoys every year. We always have a family feast, but this time it landed on my Mom’s birthday, so we had cake, and most importantly more time together.”

Josie — "I love Christmas. My favorite memory is at my grandma and grandpa’s house. I woke up early, like 4:30 a.m., and woke up my sisters and my parents. My parents told us to go back to bed until 7 a.m., At 7 a.m. we woke back up and went and sat on the stirs waiting for my cousins and my parents. We ran down, grabbed our stockings and started unwrapping gifts.”

Polina — "My favorite Christmas memory is when I got a new bike and rode it all around the house.”

Avery — "My favorite Christmas memory was last year at our old house when my little brother kind of understood what presents were. I remember seeing the look on his face when he saw what Santa had brought him and he started panting with excitement and curiosity. As he opened his gifts he had a huge smile on his face and wide eyes.”

Trace — "At our house during December our toys come to life at night and are frozen doing weird things when my sister and I get up. One time we found my dinosaur toy frozen in a bowl of ice and my sister’s Elsa from the movie, ‘Frozen’, pointing her hands at the dinosaur as if she had just frozen him. We laughed imaging what had happened that night and my mom went outside and blow-dried the ice until the dinosaur came out.”

Phin — "On Christmas a couple of years ago my little brother woke up and found his stocking with a big box of Raisinets. He didn’t pay attention to them at first, but once he tried them he went, ”Yummy!” For the rest of the morning he walked around the house with chocolate over his face and was dancing.”

Leo — "It was in 2016 on Christmas Eve, we had a large Christmas party at the largest house we lived in for 6 years. All of us kids (my brother, my friends, and I) were all playing while the parents partied and talked with the adults. We were excited because Santa Claus was coming to our house and he came by and the kids and the adults shouted, “Santa! Santa! Santa!” And we all got presents.”