Christmas time is the best time of the year for many. During this time of the year, we focus on giving back, loving, helping out, gratitude, and being happy. We only get Christmas once a year and time flies when you’re having fun so it goes by in the blink of an eye. Finals roll around and we almost forget about Christmas. Trying to balance school and the Christmas spirit isn’t easy so what can we do to change that?

Most schools get out for Christmas break anywhere from December 17-20 and return anywhere from January 1-8. That leaves us with 8-5 days before the big day and about 7 days after. Christmas means and looks different for everyone. Some people stay home, some people travel, others celebrate alone, and some celebrate with family. 8-5 days is not much time for most people to prepare. If people travel they only have a couple of days to travel and spend time with family or friends before having to go back. 

While interviewing sophomore at Pitman High School, Estefani Perez says, “Because the majority of my family lives in Mexíco my family travels over there every year for the holidays. But it is always hectic and rushed because of how little time we have. By the time we get there, I feel like we didn’t even have that much time. And we always need to leave the day right after Christmas because of how soon we have to go back.”

Finals always happen just before our Christmas break. With finals being such an important thing it’s difficult to try and focus on anything else. The days before break consist of worrying, stressing, and studying just for us to have only a couple of days before Christmas day. 

Sophomore Breanna Olvera says, “Grades are really important to me and while I love Christmas it’s so hard to focus on it when I have so much going on.” Not only do we only get about two weeks of break but only half of those days do we get to experience the build-up for Christmas. “It’s like Christmas passes by and New Years comes around and then we’re back at school again. It goes by so fast and it just feels rushed every year” Olvera says. 

Even if we were just given a couple more days it would make all the difference. We would get more time to enjoy the holiday that we look forward to every year. In addition, having those extra days would give more time to relax and get a break from the stress that finals caused. Overall the holiday season is something we need more time to enjoy and experience. Besides, we only get one Christmas every year. We should savor it before we go back to school for the rest of the year.