I still remember the feeling I had Christmas Eve when I was young and I'd crawl under the covers on a cold, sometimes snowy evening and turn out all my lights except my mini Christmas tree in my bedrooom as I awaited the best holiday of the year in the morning.
The buildup to this night was half the fun. We used to buy little chocolate advent calendars and every morning in December, before school, we would open our advent calendar and get a tiny piece of chocolate as we counted down the days to Christmas.
As the house got decorated for Christmas with wreaths, the tree, lights, silver bells, and other fantastic decorations (all credit goes to my mom), the house would have a completely different warmth. It was a small thing, but something I never forgot and that was that every time I would walk down the stairs, there was a bundle of silver bells at the end of the railing that I would always hit with my hand as I walked down the staircase and that sound during the month of December every year always rang out the sound of the season--my favorite time of year.
Last year, during my first year in college, I tried my best to bring back this childlike excitement that I always felt during these years. I started wearing my favorite ugly Christmas sweater around campus as soon as Thanksgiving passed along with my various Christmas socks. My mom sent me fake snow and I ran around campus throwing it around the doors of all my friend's dorms (which they definitely appreciated). I watched elf and baked Christmas cookies with my best friend and got overexcited when we went to the downtown area to see the Christmas decorations they had set up in the square.
At the same time, it was the most stressful time of year--especially this time around. With finals in the midst of the holiday season, it feels like there is no time to jam out to Christmas music, bake cookies, watch Christmas movies, and decorate. Instead, everything is about studying and using every free moment to sleep (if possible).
As time goes on, finding that special holiday spirit doesn't disappear; it simply becomes harder to do. For me, making Christmas cards/letters for my friends/family will always be a priority despite all the finals stress and packing craziness. I may not have time to watch Christmas movies and decorate my dorm to the max (since I won't be back in the Spring anyway) but the priority during this time of year will always lay in reminding my friends and family that I appreciate them--there may or may not be Christmas lights and cookies, but there will always be people to be grateful for.
