Sleigh bells' ring tarnished by stresses of school
Jacqueline Browder
In Vogue
Sleigh bells ring — were you listening? Probably not.
With the rotten weather, frenzied exam schedule, packing, pulling anything remotely electrical out of the wall and praying to everything holy that you make your connecting flights, the holiday spirit was lost on most students this season.
Not that we didn't try. We hung lights, downloaded Christmas carols both new (*NSYNC) and old (Bing Crosby) and dreamed about going home to friends that love us and families that miss us.
Gifts were exchanged, mistletoe was hung and we sat through Jim Carrey's efforts at "The Grinch." But overall the Christmas spirit was pushed to the back of our minds. We had more important things to think about.
As much as retailers would like for us to think it, the world doesn't stop for Christmas. Instead of sugarplums dancing `round in our heads, we had papers, deadlines, projects and exams filling our minds with facts, dates and formulas.
Christmas became more of a hassle than anything else. Buying presents, facing the crowded, sweltering malls, writing thank you notes — we were ready for Christmas to be over before it began. We even had trouble enjoying Thanksgiving dinner with the thought of finals looming in the not so far-off future.
Did I avoid this holiday mess? Did I see Mommy kissing Santa Claus? Was I doing the Jingle Bell Rock? Hardly. Let's face it. I was into the Christmas spirit about as much as Ebeneezer Scrooge.
There must be a better way. I love Christmas. There was a point in my life when it really was "The Most Wonderful Time of the Year." I've lost that. In fact, my primary goal this season was to get from the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade to Dick Clark's "Rockin' New Year's Eve" in one piece.
Well, I made it. Am I better for the endurance? Am I running my proverbial victory lap around the wilting Christmas tree in my living room? No. I spent so much time trying to cut corners and avoid the holidays that I missed out on the fun.
I spent one excruciating day at the mall, determined to buy every single one of my Christmas presents, in order to save time and another trip out in the cold. Sure, I did it, and I checked that item off of my to-do list, but it took all of the fun out of shopping.
I then made sure that I spent a certain amount of time with my friends and family, planning holiday outings and the obligational let's-catch-up-on-the-latest-gossip lunches.
However, I was so busy making sure that I saw everyone that I didn't have time to really enjoy being with my friends.
My point is this: we need to slow down. We spend so much of our time trying to see and do everything that we don't enjoy anything during the holidays.
As students, we have the wonderful opportunity to spend a special time with people we love — both at school and at home.
Sure, finals leave us all snappish, tearful and exhausted. However, we can take a few minutes out of our day to sooth our coffee-riddled body with half an hour to eat lunch with friends, have a gift exchange, play Nintendo 64 or just take a break.
We (and I include myself here) need to remember that although school is invariably important and time is precious, it's the people in our lives that are the most important, especially around the holidays.
So next time Christmas rolls around, take a minute to deck the halls and listen for the sleigh bells — they'll surely be ringing.
The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.
All Scene Stories for Wednesday, January 24, 2001
