What was once the season of slipping into patterned pajamas and the scent of hot cocoa has now become a time characterized by finals week chaos for the average college student. But let’s not forget that vibrantly decorated — and hopefully less stressful — days are right around the corner. Thoughts of life without hourly Canvas notifications have already begun to flood my mind.
Winter is the second-longest break of the school year, so it’s best to make the most out of it before you take on whatever schedule you fought tooth and nail for on WebReg. Planning the perfect break will also help you power through the finals slump, which brings me to this must-follow list of do’s and don’ts I’ve compiled during my lecture daydreams to help you navigate the holiday break!
Do: Catch up with your hometown friends
Your besties from back home are no doubt waiting patiently to hear all about your Fall Quarter drama. If there’s one thing I’m looking forward to — aside from not setting countless 8 a.m. alarms — it’s reuniting with my friends from back home, so hit them up! Whether we’re watching a movie in someone’s living room or grabbing coffee before someone’s shift, time together always feels like a breath of fresh air.
So, start planning your next brunch date or a trip to an ice skating rink, and do this sooner than later. If there is one thing they don’t warn you enough about adulthood, it’s how much of an impossible task coordinating plans becomes.
This might be the first time in a while that you’re back home for more than a few days, making it the perfect opportunity to reconnect with people beyond your close-knit social circle. Reach out to a mentor from high school, favorite ex-coworker, or that childhood friend you haven’t seen in forever — I’m sure they would be delighted to hear from you again.
Don’t: Reconnect with your high school exes
As the leaves change from verdant green to faded brown and we get closer to holidays with loved ones, lingering feelings of a now-expired love might tempt you to text someone you probably shouldn’t, especially when you’re back in your hometown. If you find yourself wondering how your junior prom date is doing while unpacking your luggage, hold off on hitting that send button. Sure, if things ended on good terms, getting lunch wouldn’t hurt, but let’s not go so far as planning a New Year’s kiss quite yet. The last thing you want is to spend all of Winter Quarter recovering from a three-week long situationship, again!
Instead, put some New Year’s Eve superstitions to the test. The Hispanic traditions are eating 12 grapes for good luck or sitting under the table as the clock strikes midnight, often performed together. This is a much more fun way to attract your next bae; it won’t be long until teddy bears and heart shaped candy boxes dominate the shelves at Target. It’s definitely worth a shot!
Do: Embrace nostalgia
As the break progresses, boredom will begin to creep in. With all that extra time, I always end up rummaging through my belongings and inevitably stumble across the high school journal that I swear I’ll burn one day. Although the thought of being 15 years old and boy-obsessed makes me physically recoil, I always get a good laugh from the pages by the end.
There’s a lot of emphasis on proactivity on a college campus — to stay fixed on the present while planning for the future — that we need the grounding that moments like these offer. Exploring reminders of who we once were and recognizing how we’ve grown give us the space to reflect on all that has changed and is still changing.
Whether it’s flipping through old journals, returning to the library you once borrowed books from, or visiting the sandwich shop that kept you fed all throughout high school, revisit the nice times that the stressful exam season might have made you forget.
Don’t: Feel guilty about resting
If there’s one thing from this list to actually take away, it’s to not let guilt interfere with your rest. Maybe you’ve already planned for the three weeks away from campus to be a productivity marathon. I get it, I want to get a few summer internship applications in too. But especially after completing the first quarter of the school year — which oddly feels the longest out of the three — you deserve downtime without obligations concerning “productivity.”
Throughout the quarter, there just isn’t enough time for anything other than academics. If you find that school has kept you from doing the things you love, plan to revisit them over break! After all, resting can take many different forms, not just getting extra hours of sleep. Practice the hobby you picked up over the summer, finally finish that sappy romance book on your desk, or, as cliche as it sounds, touch grass (or snow)! I, for one, plan to check “Before Sunrise” and “Good Will Hunting” off my watch list this winter and perhaps fill my Letterboxd account with something other than wandering tumbleweeds!
I hope this list helps you transform those imaginings of the cozier days ahead into a restful and fulfilling winter break. Until then, keep up the grind, and good luck on finals!
