Christmas is a time of wonder and joy, and sometimes, in good cheer, a time of competition. Whether they knew it or not, several teachers in Mohawk entered the final month of 2018 in a steadily growing contest of who could cultivate the most fantastically glittery and garishly colored classroom in the school. There were several contenders, including Mrs. Griffith with her repurposed Halloween tree, but two teachers outdid everyone else in sheer Christmas chaos: Mr. Long and Mr. Addicott. Mr. Long has been known for years to join his students in the Christmas spirit, and his room proclaims it loudly every year. This year his room sported a whiteboard full of creative Christmas drawings, Christmas lights of all colors strung around the room, and a festive little tree propped proudly on a stool. His students outdid themselves by adding a paper tree climbing the wall with its own real lights, several paper decorations of snowmen and reindeer, a paper fire

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place and stockings for the “good” students, and a jolly little sign proclaiming “Merry Christmas!” Mr. Long himself even contributed to the fun with festive Christmas garb of his own. It seems all of that familiar effort would be hard to beat, but the new teacher of the school year, choir teacher Mr. Addicott, certainly gave Mr. Long a run for his money. With wreaths, intricate winter-themed office window decoration, and a creative whiteboard drawing provided by a talented student, it would seem a good amount of decoration had been provided. But somehow he made room for not one, but five Christmas trees in the choir room, presumably one for each of his classes. Each tree was uniquely decorated, and the room was full of lights and cheer. All of these decorations supplied the kind of glee Christmas is known for. Christmas spirit abounded in Mohawk, and the evidence could be found in any of these delightfully decorated classrooms.