I spent my evenings in front of the fireplace in the library, reading Pride and Prejudice for my new Jane Austen English elective and chatting with friends. On the first Saturday, I performed in the annual Groton Pops. The jazz band played funky renditions of Christmas songs. I sang “You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch” with the a cappella group, and I danced and screamed with the final act: the sing-along. Afterwards, the jazz band gathered for Secret Santa. 

On Wednesday night, while all the younger kids were tucked away in bed, the seniors gathered in the dining hall to decorate gingerbread houses! We were put in random groups. We all know each other so well that it was completely natural. There was a family feeling radiating throughout the room.