As the cold weather sets in, we comfort ourselves with steaming hot cocoa and chunky sweaters as we gear up for the beloved Christmas season. Christmas is a time for family and friends to gather and enjoy the long-held traditions of decorating the tree and baking chocolate chip cookies. Although we all get excited to be with our families during the holidays, junior Chloe Sherkat said she is particularly excited for the upcoming Christmas because her father, Ali Sherkat, will be home after four long months.

With her father working as a lawyer helping his family’s business in Iran since Aug. 1, Chloe does not just see the holidays as a time for presents and friends, she sees it as a precious time to visit with her dad. Her face gleamed when she talked about the excitement of seeing him again.

“When I see him after a long time I am so happy I could cry,” Sherkat said.

Her father will land in Los Angeles, Ca. on Dec. 20 and make his way to Kansas City, Ks. on Dec. 22. Sherkat planned out her first day with her dad.

“We will go to the airport and freak out that he’s back,” Sherkat said. “Then we will go home and have a huge dinner and talk about what we’ve been doing for the past few months and catch up.”

Sherkat smiled while talking about her holiday traditions with the family. She giggled and said her dad had always given her and her sisters sparkling grape juice in fancy champagne glasses since she was little and she will follow that tradition and many others this Christmas.

“My dad loves to watch old movies and Christmas classics. We spend a lot of our holiday nights watching movies together,” Sherkat said.

Sherkat is especially excited that her dad will be staying in Kansas City. She cannot wait to kick off the return of her father with Christmas.

Sherkat said she believes Christmas is a time to reflect on how important our loved ones are and how we need to acknowledge them. She shares her story on the significance of family and tradition during the holiday season.