If there's one thing Loyola loves more than anything else, it's decorating for and celebrating Christmas. Since we're a Catholic Jesuit school, it makes sense that Christmas is a big deal here. And honestly, I'm always a little bit happier walking across campus with the decorations up. There's just something about the white lights and the garland around lamp posts and on the bridge that makes me a little bit happier.

I love walking through Humanities and seeing the decorations, especially the tree in the lobby near hug lounge. Most of the departments have decorated for the season, either with lights and garland, Christmas trees, or mini figurines. But it's easy to get lost in the commercialism of the season, forgetting the reason why Christians across the world celebrate Christmas -- the Birth of Christ.

We're already in the second week of Advent, a time for reflection and readying your heart, mind, and spirit to celebrate the birth of Christ. It's definitely not the most ideal time for quiet reflection, given that it's also the end of the semester where everyone is running around writing papers, collaborating on group projects, and studying/cramming for finals, all while drinking a bit too much coffee. But, for Christians, Advent is a good time to take even just a minute to reflect. Take a five-minute break from studying, take a walk, and take it all in. I think we all have an extra five minutes in our day, even if we have to sacrifice scrolling through Instagram or Twitter to do so.

If you're on campus and really want to get in the Christmas season, I highly encourage you to come to Loyola's 28th Annual Festival of Lessons and Carol. The Chapel Choir has been preparing for this since the first week of October and I can guarantee that it's going to be a magical night of music, reading, and reflection.

It may be a crazy time of the year, but I hope we can all still manage to keep a little Christmas in our hearts!