Snowflakes are fluttering down towards the hard packed earth. Below, a crisp winter wind flows around the student’s ears, fluttering the tips of their winter jacket. Their shoes squelch down in the soft, new snow, leaving only mushy imprints behind them. They walk away with a sense of finality, knowing a hard chapter has just been completed and it is time for a break. The straps on their backpack drop down onto their shoulders, drawing the tension from their body. They draw in a deep breath of air, sending it down their throat like an ice cold glass of lemonade on the hottest day of summer. They get into a car to go home and they take a second to close their eyes and bask in the feeling of the momentary rest. As they leave the building behind them, they take one last look at the word emboldened in tall silver letters. Xavier, it reads. And as they drive farther away the name fades from their minds, as they look forward to what comes next: Christmas break.

Every year, most people look forward to Christmas break marking it in their minds as a nice, long break after whatever the first semester of school has brought. It’s a 12 day break where the thought of school lest not touch their minds, bringing a sort of peace that’s easy to sink into and do nothing much about at all. Personally, I just want to sit down in front of a fire and stare off into the distance for a while.

However, while it’s not a bad thing to just relax over winter break, staying busy is really the best way to go. Busy, some people may say is bad, as that is all they ever are during break. They’re always running this way or that hanging out with friends or relatives, going Christmas shopping, making Christmas cookies, wrapping presents or even traveling away to see friends or family. To these people, I say try to remember the years that you were a kid. Kids, I find, enter into the Christmas season enjoying all the business and taking it all in as a part of the experience. That infectious enthusiasm that kids around the Christmas season seem to have is a lesson to everyone.