Studying
Before college, classwork during the holiday season consisted almost entirely of writing essays about what I was most thankful for around Thanksgiving and watching Elf or some other seasonal staple in class before winter break, just because.
Today, however, with just a day before I head home for Thanksgiving break, I sit at my desk with a head packed with stress, staring at a calendar marked with a list of seven uncompleted assignments that have to be done within the next 24 hours. College has changed the holiday season landscape, transforming a time of joy into a month of anxiety and sleep deprivation as professors rush to finish lessons and students boot up for finals week.
I realized that college is a spirit-killer last year when I returned home for Thanksgiving break after a grueling week of exams and assignments.
“Happy Thanksgiving!” my mom exclaimed as she opened the door and embraced me.
“What?” I asked.
“Thanksgiving?” she responded, confused. “You know, it’s tomorrow.”
“Oh, I completely forgot,” I said. “I’m so tired.”
“You look dead,” my mom said, examining my face closely. “Have you been eating?”
As a young man who considers the period from mid-November to Christmas to be truly the most wonderful time of the year — that one was for you, Andy Williams — it was in the moment when my mom worriedly held my face that I realized I hated college, or at least the final few weeks of the semester that drained any semblance of holiday spirit from me.
College manages to replace ABC Family’s 25 Days of Christmas marathon with ELMS’ 25 Days of Final Assignments and the joyous melody of “Last Christmas” with the daunting voice of your professor reminding the class that the final exam is cumulative. And the worst part is that college doesn’t care. College has no qualms about its spirit-killing antics.
For many students, the holiday season represents a time of the year that is full of celebration — celebration of perhaps religion or family or friends. Instead, college pushes students to their breaking points during this time, dangling a home-baked sugar cookie above their heads while throwing a pile of the semester’s hardest assignments at them.
I understand winter break is meant to signify a kind of reward for students for completing their classes, but to take away students’ abilities to even recognize that the holiday season is upon them is undoubtedly a cruel and unusual punishment.
So I hope you’re happy, college. I hope you’re happy knowing you are to blame for sucking the spirit out of my favorite holidays. I hope you’re happy knowing students no longer look forward to breaks to actually celebrate the holidays, but instead for the chance to escape from you for a day or two.
My parents didn’t ruin Christmas when they told me Santa wasn’t real. You ruined Christmas last year after I pulled an all-nighter for two of my hardest final exams, which were scheduled back-to-back. I sincerely hope you’re happy, college, because then at least I know one of us is finding joy this holiday season.
