There it is. The big game right in front of you. Watching the major plays and smallest mistakes. On either side of you is your family, found intently yelling at the players in the game or bouncing around gleefully celebrating the touchdowns. In the background, the clattering of pans, bags and plates transforms into delightful aromas that begin to waft toward you. Swirling around you, food smells permeate the air with more intensity than before, meanwhile the Super Bowl players crank up a similar intensity and finesse an unlikely pass to touchdown. The crowd goes wild from your home.

Some students at SHS experience, to some degree, Super Bowl celebrations like this of their own with their families. For some, it is a tradition. Freshman Jaylen Engel and his family gather at his grandparents’ house to watch the big game, eat and play games. The games that his family plays at his grandparents’ house include basketball and dodgeball played with a basketball.

“It is our tradition, and sometimes the adults have a basketball tournament,” said Engel.

For another student at SHS, senior Morgan Riddell and her family also get together to celebrate the Super Bowl. According to Riddell, her family’s Super Bowl traditions include eating and watching the game together.

“We always cook a nice steak dinner and watch together. Sometimes we have our friends over for it,” said Riddell.

Riddell mentions that while sometimes her family will skip a year or decide to prepare a different dinner on years they watch the game, her family always finds time to watch the Super Bowl commercials together.

“It’s really lowkey and relaxed usually,” said Riddell.