'Twas the night before finals,

And all through the Stuce,

Not a student was sleeping,

Or working out at the Luce.

They sat in their chairs,

Hunched over and pale,

Offering last minute prayers

That they would not fail.

Others sipped their warm, tasty drinks,

Laughing with friends

And not stopping to think

How their weeks would all end.

Some rushed to Kinlaw,

Printing papers with yawns,

And gasped when they saw

Their print balances gone.

Groups rallied together,

Reviewing their notes,

And hoping their profs were

All eaten by goats.

Questions upon questions shot through our brains,

Echoing and echoing, like rapid gunfire,

Should this sentence be cut out or should it remain?

Is it too soon to get a good job and retire?

We were all too busy assuming defeat,

That over our shouts, we didn’t stop to hear,

The pitter patter of clumsy reindeer feet,

Or the jingle bells we’d waited for all year.

So we fretted away

Too consumed with our worries to see

Santa step out of his sleigh,

And right into GC.

“Santa on the hall!”

Kaylyn said, loud and clear,

But we ignored the call,

Out of test-related fears.

“I’ve brought you gifts!”

Kris Kringle shouted with glee,

Expecting spirits to lift,

And hearts to be freed.

“Thanks for the stop,”

Said one nice RA,

“But it’s one o’clock,

Finals are coming today!”

“Take a break,”

The jolly old elf suggested,

The girls, suddenly wide awake,

All seemed quite arrested.

“We can’t do that,”

they replied, to his dismay.

“We’ve got tests to ace, stat,

F's will crush our GPAs.”

Santa shook his head,

And let out a sigh,

“I fear this is where education has led,”

He sadly replied.

“You’re allowed to sleep,

You’re allowed to dream,

You’re allowed to keep

A good self-esteem.

So study hard, eagles,

But do not forget,

To fill your December hours

With more than notes and regret.”