Late Break Makes For Rushed Holidays

Christmas music plays throughout many stores; decorations including bright lights and plastic reindeers are placed outside of several houses. Christmas is right around the corner. For most people it’s “the holiday season,” a time where they should be inside making cookies, watching Christmas movies, or out shopping for gifts. However now that the first week of winter break officially starts on Christmas day, the time given for festive preparations is no longer a reality for students.

Last year winter break started on Dec. 19, the week before Christmas. This was wonderful because students were given the time to enjoy and celebrate the coming of this special holiday. They didn’t have to worry about homework or just attending school as a whole. But now that they get out of school, literally TWO DAYS BEFORE Christmas, students have zero time to do anything. How is that fair? For those people who celebrate Christmas, you all know that the holiday fun comes before the actual day. Before Christmas day is the time people spend buying presents, watching movies, and decorating Christmas cookies. But students still have school the week before, which is why they can’t take part in these activities.

For me, winter break means that it’s Christmas time. I get to settle down and spend time with my family on my favorite holiday. Unfortunately now that the coming of the holiday is so rushed, I don’t actually get to enjoy it. This year my sister is coming home from college a couple of weeks before Christmas and my mom has the week before off as well. However, because of the new schedule for break, I can’t spend time celebrating with them. My school life continues which means that while they’re out shopping and experiencing the festivities, I’m either doing homework, in class, or at practice. I get home around 7:40 every day because of school and practice which means that there is no time for me to celebrate.

Although we still get our full two weeks of break, I would much rather have the week before Christmas off than the week after. When it’s the week after, there is no longer anything to celebrate. Sure you can look forward to New Year’s but the preparation for that doesn’t even compare to the preparation for Christmas. People can’t spend time watching Christmas movies and they can’t go shopping for gifts because the holiday is already over! Students have the days off when NOTHING is going on. To, to me that is completely pointless.

I know that not everyone celebrates Christmas which is why according to some people it shouldn’t matter when winter break starts because it doesn’t revolve around Christmas day. I understand that, but people from other religions would also benefit from a sooner winter break. Because of the way winter break is scheduled, Jewish people don’t get time off to celebrate their holiday. Hanukkah starts on Dec. 12ember 12th and ends on Dec. 20ember 20th which means that if winter break started the week before (on December Dec. 18th) they would have at least a couple days off for Hanukkah too.

Christmas is a time to relax, celebrate, and spend time with family which is why students should be given more time before the coming of this holiday. It would allow more opportunities for people to enjoy this special day without a time crunch and without a worry about school work.