Because I’ve been in the Christmas mood since the day after Thanksgiving and the Christmas music they started playing in the Student Union last week has me inspired, I decided to make a poll asking UConn students questions about Christmas and the holiday break. Some questions are serious and others are funny, but I thought it would be at least a little informative and fun for students to think about something other than the stress of finals and school for a few minutes. Around 75 students filled out my poll, and the poll had five questions (I know, I really was digging deep). I’ll go through each one in order starting with the first one!
#1: Is your Christmas tree real or fake each year?
I wanted to ask this question because I recently got into an argument with my boyfriend about whether real or fake Christmas trees are better. Of course, there are pros and cons to each but I wanted to see how UConn students would answer the question. The results definitely produced an upset (at least for me)! Among the 73 answers, 65.8% of students said fake and 32.9% said real. I thought it would be more of an even split, or maybe even more students saying real. However, I was definitely wrong with my initial thoughts but a follow-up question asked next on the poll provided me with some answers. After people answered if they had real or fake trees, they had the option to explain why. Many responses explained that real trees have a nice smell or seem more spirited, but fake trees are much easier to put up, cleaner, and more resourceful since you can use them for years. UConn students definitely put some thought into which kind of tree is best for the holidays, although my favorite response was “real trees, scary bugs on them.”
#2: When you put out cookies/food for Santa each year, who do you think actually eats them?
This question might seem really silly, but I’ve been speculating for years that my dad ate all of the dozen cookies I would put out for Santa each year and so I wanted to see what other UConn students thought about who the real culprit of their missing cookies was. Not surprisingly, 61.6% of people said dad while another 11% said mom. Other responses included grandparents, siblings, the person themselves, and Santa (still believing in the Christmas magic). But I’m glad that a lot of us kept our dads well-fed during the holiday season, I’m sure they appreciated it!
#3: Do New Year’s Resolutions actually work?
I tried to get a little deeper with this question since there is lots of debate around setting goals for the New Year and even more debate on whether we follow through with these goals or not. Again, I was surprised with the results since I assumed around half of the responders would say yes and the other half would say no. However, only 6.8% of people said that New Year’s Resolutions work! The answers “maybe” and “no” made up another 82.3%. Are UConn students being pessimistic with these answers or are they just being realistic? It’s hard to tell, but my hope is that college students understand the importance of setting goals and following through with these goals during the entire year and not just during the New Year. And if you are setting New Year’s resolutions this year, don’t be discouraged with these answers and I wish you good luck!
#4: Is the excitement of the holiday break making you more or less motivated to study for finals?
This question was definitely out of personal curiosity because I would say that the anticipation of the holiday break is making me less motivated because thinking about the holiday break is more appealing than thinking about confidence intervals. It seems that UConn students agree with me, as almost half said that the excitement of the holiday break was making them less excited. However, 32.9% of people said that the excitement was making them more motivated, which is great! And 15% of people weren’t sure, which is totally okay. No matter your level of motivation, we’re almost there and we’ll make it!
#5: What are you looking forward to this holiday break?
I wanted the final question to be fun and reflective, which is why I invited responders to think about what they’re looking forward to most for the break. There were lots of different responses, and all of them I totally agreed with; many had to do with getting to sleep in, spending time with family and friends, Christmas or other holidays, needing a much-deserved break, and going on vacation. Whether or not the holiday plans included plans or no plans (that is, just relaxation and a break from school), all the responses seemed like good ways to recharge from the stress and busyness of this semester.
In conclusion, I would say my poll was a success! I learned some new things (that maybe fake trees are the way to go), reaffirmed some opinions (dads were eating “Santa’s” cookies each year), and got to hear what everyone is most looking forward to this holiday break. Whatever you do or don’t do this holiday break, I hope you enjoy the much-needed break and make time for yourself — you deserve it!