Katherine Daniel ~ Editor in Chief
We came back from fall break a few weeks ago, and all I can think about is how much I am looking forward to Thanksgiving break. While fall break was a few days to relieve the stress I had with my midterms and all my assignments, it definitely was a tease. Fall break is just a taste of being home for a long weekend, but as soon as you adjust to being home for a long weekend, it is time to go back to school. I cannot help but look forward to Thanksgiving Break, and here are a few reasons why.
- Reuniting with friends that have gone off to college and that you have not seen since you went to school is a great thing to look forward to. Some of my friends stayed home and did community college or started to work, but others went off to colleges all across VA, so it will be good to see all of these people during the week that I have Thanksgiving Break. Going from seeing each other every day during the summer and on the weekends, to only seeing them on break is hard, but it makes each break that much more special. While Facetime calls and Snapchats are great, nothing beats seeing them for the first time in months and picking up where we left off. Whether we pick up with gossip sessions, go to the mall, or brunch dates, nothing is better than spending time with friends we can only see during major breaks. Some people grow apart while away at school and do not stay in touch as much, so have a Friendsgiving or do something special with your friends and bring back the strong bond and friendship that you had even if the distance and growing up has not come between. For me, I am going to catch up with my “little sister” and her family, and also my other friends who are working back at home on break.
- Spend time with your family. Thanksgiving break is a great time to spend with family, whether it is close family or extended. I love to spend Thanksgiving with my mom, but she gets less time off on break than I do, so I tend to spend the days with her that she is off. It is a time where we are thankful for spending it with family and could not be more ideal. Family is everything, and Thanksgiving could not be more of a perfect time for that. Give your relatives an extra tight hug or simply tell your family how much you appreciate and love them.
- Self Care. The best part of Thanksgiving break is the time you get to relax and enjoy yourself. It is a perfect time to engage in self-care, whether it is watching endless hours of the Hallmark Channel, catching up on sleep, going to the nail salon, working out, or shopping, there are so many things you can do. With the stress and busyness of school and work, self-care can easily be forgotten, and this is a time to establish a routine or get back into one. This break could not be more perfect since finals will be here in two weeks. Take advantage of the time to take care of yourself for a routine for finals week. It is always important to have self-care for yourself but self-care during a time as stressful as finals is vital and very essential.
- Get a jump start on the finals and assignments you have left. For me, I have a bunch of things coming up due the week after Thanksgiving Break. I have a senior thesis due, two presentations, and graphics assignments. Things are starting to pile up and I am definitely going to be working on a lot of it this Thanksgiving break. So, if you have stuff due soon, use this break wisely to catch up!
- The Semester is almost over and it is so close. College is hard. It is stressful, demanding, and requires a lot of time management, but you know what? You are doing it! Thanksgiving break is a break, but it is also a time where you know that finals and projects are coming. The week of exams is where all your limits are pushed and you work harder than you have before. Thanksgiving break is the last stop before that week and the end of the semester; it is an accomplishment. At this point, you are more than halfway through the full year of college and you are almost done with it. There is no better feeling than getting through the first semester of college because it starts to get harder as the years go on. For me, Thanksgiving is a push for me to get my last couple weeks left of my undergraduate done. It is scary to think I am almost finished and it is this close. Thanksgiving break is a reminder that you are almost done with another semester and your hard work is paying off. Use this break to celebrate that you are almost there. This can make you have a positive mind set!
Remember to take advantage of every minute you are home as one day you will not have a Thanksgiving break like this or any type of extended break. It is a special time and just enjoy it and make yourself happy!
