Twas the night before Christmas, but instead of delight, students were hunched over textbooks, lit by a cold laptop light.
Their cocoa went cold as deadlines loomed near, while visions of grades danced with stress and fear.
Nothing is certain in life except for death, taxes and the exhaustion that comes from final exam week. The last two weeks of school before the semester ends are notoriously packed with projects, tests and finals, often leaving students drained. But the promise of winter break and the rainbow after the storm, should be a period to recharge.
Lately, though, “what are you doing over the break?” has been turning into “what are you studying over the break?” Kevin McCallister didn’t discover the true spirit of Christmas by memorizing SAT vocabulary while burglars robbed his house; he learned it by being present and valuing the people around him. But nothing says holly-jolly spirit like some study guides, right?
Studying in moderation is perfectly fine, even helpful. But when school becomes the main character of your winter break, you may miss out on the things that make the season meaningful.
Winter break is one of the few occasions where families have enough time to come together. These moments, along with time spent on personal interests, help students grow in ways textbooks cannot. Studying comes with instant gratification: seeing that A is proof of work, but hobbies don’t work that way.
Creative pursuits do not grow you in a measurable way, but they shape you nonetheless. They build compassion, resilience and a kind of personal growth that grades can never fully capture.
Winter break is one of the only times students get to step out of the constant cycle school creates. During the semester, everything you do is measured by points, rubrics and percentages that supposedly define your future.
A break is supposed to be the opposite of that. It should give you space to just be a person again, one who can freely make mistakes and figure life out without the looming threat of GPAs.
In my life, I have noticed that when I spend days buried in schoolwork, I am quicker to snap and slower to appreciate the people around me. It is almost as if the more I chase productivity, the less room I have for patience or gratitude.
Stress doesn’t just stay in my head, it makes its way into interactions, dulling the parts of me that should feel peaceful this time of year. And if a break can’t soften that edge, what’s the point of calling it a break at all?
There are so many ways to spend a break that still feel meaningful: from picking up an old hobby to reconnecting with family. Maybe the greatest gift we can give ourselves this season is peace. So I say, ‘Tis the season to close the laptop, warm the cocoa and let the glow of something other than a screen light the room.
