With Thanksgiving being so late this year, finals week is approaching more quickly than ever before. It’s obvious too. The stress level in school is at an all-time high, and teachers are cramming their last units, novels and projects in before exam preparations. That’s definitely the case for me at least. Although I may be complaining now, I feel like it will only make the holidays that much more enjoyable.

Ignoring the fact that there have actually been commercials advertising holiday shopping since Halloween, I don’t see how a little early excitement for the holidays is a negative thing. I made the mistake freshman and sophomore year of stressing until the very last moment and then sacrificing the true meaning of the holiday season. This year I’m changing that. It is my personal goal to enjoy all the moments leading up to the holidays, so that when I am surrounded by my friends and family, I can actually feel relief during my time off.

For example, the last week of November was absolutely ridiculous. I spent more time on homework than I have all year.  I had projects due. I had tests looming over my head like a storm cloud. The half day before break was anything but stress free. My teachers were as anxious as I was for Thanksgiving Break, which only made being in school that much more difficult. Am I striking a nerve yet?

I am not giving up on my goal though. The first weekend of December I took a step in the right direction by working on a gingerbread house at my grandma’s. I’ve been doing that since I was three years old. And although I could have, and at times felt it necessary, spent my time studying or actually trying to rest, my sister and I drove to Crystal Lake for a few hours one Saturday and continued our tradition.

That trip made me remember that the holidays are about family. It’s not about the stress of gifts, cleaning the house before your guests arrive, or preparing a menu. The true beauty of the holidays is that it reminds us of the wonderful people we have in our lives.

Now with that in mind, I’m plowing through the next two weeks with something to look forward to. I can’t worry about the fact that next semester I’ll be taking the ACT, or that the musical starts, or that there will be germs mutating in the school faster than mice. Nope. I am completely disregarding that and focusing on what is important during break. And that is my friends and family.

I encourage you to make a goal for yourself. It may not be to remember why the holidays are important. It could have nothing to do with the holidays even. A goal every now and then can’t hurt. And for me, it helped me remember the meaning of the most wonderful time of the year.