The holiday season is upon us but many collegiettes, myself included, don’t have the time to notice, since thistime of the year also coincides with the end of the semester and, most importantly, finals. When I was younger the holidays were, without a doubt, the most wonderful time of the year, the best part of which was definitely the weeks leading up to the actual celebration: decorating the house, the smell of various baked goods wafting from the kitchen, wrapping the presents you bought for others, and trying to find your own that you just knew had to be there somewhere…
Now we aren’t home for those weeks and have a harder time preparing for and getting excited about the holidays. The last couple of weeks of classes are typically filled with papers and presentations. And once those are finally behind us, we still have finals to look forward to. There’s nothing like a 20-page paper or a cumulative exam to crush your holiday spirit. However, there are still ways to keep your holiday cheer intact. Instead of thinking of school as keeping you away from your traditional holiday activities, think of it as giving you the opportunity to have double the holiday fun. In reality, you get to celebrate twice, first with your friends from school and then with your family and friends from home.
While you’re still at school:
Decorating your room is a great way to get excited about the holidays. It’s hard to look at decorations and not be instantly happier. You don’t need to go all out (although you certainly can) but just a few things here and there will make your room, and yourself, more festive. Studying for an exam but your room is just too quiet? Put on some holiday music in the background to subliminally improve your spirits. If you wind up forgetting about your work in order to sing along to all your favorite tunes, that’s okay too (after all, it is that time of year). And while we’re on the topic of procrastination, when you need that much-deserved break from work, watch one of your favorite holiday movies to give your brain a rest. And finally, the most time consuming but also the most fun way of starting the holiday festivities early is to designate a time to celebrate with your friends. You can exchange small gifts, go out to dinner, do your holiday shopping together, or a number of other things, all of which are sure to make memorable holiday memories.
When you’re (finally) home:
There is a limited amount of time from when you arrive home until the holidays begin. I always have a plan in mind for everything I want to do, but when I actually get there I spend more of my time in a coma on the couch watching reruns of Friends than anything else. There’s no denying that we’re all mentally and physically spent from the late nights spent cramming and stressing, but it’s important to still be productive when you get home. After all, getting in the holiday spirit is fun, not a chore, so as much as we may want to continue watching television, we’ll actually have a lot more fun being productive. If you have any last minute shopping to do, get it done as soon as you can, because the later you wait, the worse your experience will be. Once your holiday shopping is taken care of, you can spend the rest of your time taking part in your family’s traditions, whether they’re caroling, baking cookies, or driving through a light show. Now you just get to relax and enjoy the holidays as well as your break from school. Happy holidays