Area Teens Revert to the Ways of Summer

This is what elation looks like: the face of 14-year-old Scott Laboch as he lands a much-practiced jump on his new skateboard on the first day of winter vacation.

“I did it!” announced the smiling teenager, sporting a bright-red Santa hat. “I have to keep practicing it until I can just do it--all the time.”

Like many of his peers across Ventura County, Scott spent Christmas Eve the way he hopes to spend every day for the next two weeks. Sleeping late. Eating a big breakfast. Hanging out with friends. And best of all, not going to school.

“This is what I like to do with my free time,” he said, just before accidentally kicking his new board--an early Christmas gift--out from under himself at a public skate park in Ventura. “I’ll come here probably, like, every day.”

A more festive kind of skating was the choice of young people at Oxnard Ice Skating Center. With Christmas carols blaring and white lights twinkling, Kylie Hanna, 14, of Camarillo soaked in the holiday atmosphere.

Cheeks flush from the chill inside the ice rink, she laughed with friends Alison and Chelsey Neeley, who came down from Santa Barbara for the occasion, as they do every year.

“It’s the Christmas thing we do,” Kylie said. “It’s a good way to spend the day.”

Other teens flocked to an always popular destination, holiday season or not: the mall.

Felipe Ruiz, 16, drove his little brother and two friends from Santa Paula to Pacific View Mall in Ventura to buy gifts for their parents. It did not take long for them to be distracted by a shiny remote-control car.

While some shopped, other teens were behind the counters, making some extra cash for holiday gifts.

“I wanted my own money, and I [was able] to buy for everyone who I wanted to buy for this year,” said Oxnard resident Ashley Zavala, 16, greeting customers as they streamed into the Anchor Blue store. “It’s my first job, so it’s pretty exciting.”

Angie Hernandez, 17, and Jennifer Garcia, 18, of Oxnard were looking for jobs, and exchanging some early holiday gifts. Most years, they spend much of their time at the mall or at friends’ homes. But during the next two weeks, they said they will try to dedicate more time to their families.

Many teenagers Monday said that since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks they have a stronger desire to surround themselves with family.

“I think the whole season is more meaningful this year,” Angie said.

Alexandra Bowen, a Ventura seventh-grader, sees her vacation as a chance to stay inside, bake cookies and rent movies.

Alexandra, her brother Ryan, 16; mother Christine and father Donald are staying at home this Christmas--for the first time ever.

“We really didn’t want to travel,” Christine Bowen said. “It’s been a rough year.”