For students, the holiday season can be very final. Many of us still need to finish three or four major assignments before we can go home and sleep for a hyperbolic length of time. After finals season is over, however, the holiday season can begin in earnest.
With that in mind, The NewsHouse has put together its list of the 10 things you need to do before the holiday season.
The NewsHouse Holiday Guide to Success
Get gifts. Not "soon." Right now. Mom, Dad, little sister, girlfriend, boyfriend, older brother, second-aunt twice-removed, that chemistry professor who might just fail you because you haven't been to lab in the last month. Failing to hit the key bases will mean fewer gifts for you next time around. Remember, you're a student, so you don't actually have to show someone you care or even put thought into a gift. Just buy something so you don't look like a jerk.
Watch A Muppet Christmas Carol. Does this one need any explanation?
And pig out, Ms. Piggy. Throughout the year, I tend to eat faster than anyone I know, a by-product of a high-energy, low-rest journalist lifestyle. So by now I'm used to awkward dinner-table scenarios where I stare at a scraped-clean plate talking to myself because everyone one else had yet to finish their hors d'oeuvres. But for a solid month, none of that matters. Gluttony will be welcomed with open mouths and the leftovers aplenty.
Spend time with family. So what if you hate the crazy aunt? Hate her for five hours and relish that hatred for the silly dance it really is.
Find romance. Relationship wizard I am not, but you don't have to be Cupid to appreciate Love Actually, Miracle on 34th Street, and the incomparable It's a Wonderful Life. While we can admire and cherish our loose years, we know why mistletoe exists. It has nothing to do with the plant order Santalales.
Sing! My father, in his middle-aged , on the other hand, loves the annual flood of tunes. He and I learned long ago that if we were going to stomach any kind of holiday errand together (i.e. buying gifts for my mom and sister), we would have to learn to compromise. Two grown men singing Christmas carols to each other isn't weird. I swear.
Do the right thing. Science says there is no God. I'm going to tell you I don't know and it doesn't matter. All the fetid cheesiness of the world's Lifetime holiday flicks should not prevent your heart from warming up to your fellow man (and woman, and child, and starving animal). With the surplus of human rights and social work organizations actively operating in cities across the country, you have no excuse.
Buy alcohol. At the risk of endorsing college drinking, let's all admit that the occasional wine and beer and harder stuff form integral parts of the holiday season. Car accident statistics agree. That said, I'm a big fan of Blue Moon's Winter Abbey ale, brewed with hints of honey and warm rays of positivity. Cases of the stuff work as gifts too, especially for broke writers.
Sleep. Sleep. Sleep. Pull your shades down, hit the lights and happily pass out for a week or two. Do not leave your bed until you've properly hibernated. You've earned it.
Cheer up, Scrooge. We get it, finals week sucked. And you probably flunked web design (who knows code anyway?). But that's the extent of your problems. You're going home in a matter of days. So cut the crap, throw on some Gotye, go for a run, and chill out in front of Batman: Arkham City. 'Tis the season. Be jolly.
Text:
Eric Vilas-Boas
Video:
Theodore Rysz III (cinematography, editing)
Emily Shearing (production assistance)
Bridget Greene (talent)
Eric Vilas-Boas (talent)
