It’s a struggle students face every year- you’re trying to get into the holiday spirit and get super excited for Winter Break and presents and everything snowy and beautiful. Then your professor snaps you out of your daydream by reminding you of the 12 page paper you have due in a week and that your last final will be on December 21.
However, there are plenty of ways you can keep the Christmas spirit alive while still staying focused for your finals!
1. Get your “25 Days of Christmas” schedule ready. The complete schedule is available on Freeform’s website. I personally might have had it printed out and color coded with everything I want to watch since November 2nd, but that’s probably just me.
2. Watch Elf! This is possibly the most quintessential Christmas movie in modern existence (although The Santa Clause comes pretty close to that as well). It’ll be on Freeform Saturday, December 3rd! And don’t worry- if you miss it this time, you have 11 more opportunities to see it on this channel (I counted).
3. Drink ALL the hot chocolate. As much as possible. As often as possible. Especially if there’s mini-marshmallows involved. There’s few things more festive and fun and delicious than drinking hot cocoa with multi-colored mini-marshmallows by a fireplace (or a space heater, tbh).
4. Make a Christmas playlist! (Or find one that someone has already made on Spotify). If you listen to music a lot, even when you’re doing homework and whatnot, you might as well play some holiday songs! This is the time when it’s 100 percent socially acceptable to do so.
5. Decorate! This is especially for those of you who live in a dorm. Take note from the song “It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas”.Some pretty lights and a few paper snowflakes can really help it feel like the holiday season. You can even pick up a mini Christmas tree at Target and make a few ornaments! Ask your friends to come and help!
6. Bake Cookies/Buy Cookies/Have a Cookie Swap- Any and all of the above can cheer you up like nothing else. Cookies are a wonderful blessing and you should definitely take a moment to enjoy them. You can look up fun recipes to try (Hot Chocolate Cookie Cups are my personal fave).
7. Go Shopping- this time of year has sales like no other. Go for it.
8. Visit the Fantasy of Lights! If you have the means, I highly recommend it. It’s an awesome drive-thru lights display over in New Haven (right on the beach!). As a CT resident, I can tell you that it’s definitely worth a trip.
9. Volunteer! This is the season of giving. That means giving your time, too. There are tons of opportunities in any field you can think of. Take advantage of an opportunity to make someone smile.
Finals can be stressful and very, very time consuming. We’re all there. But this time of year is special and meant for celebrating- don’t let anything take that away from you. Be like Buddy.