Many people look forward to Christmas all year long, excited for the gifts and traditions of the holiday season. The shopping and decorating are some of the highlights of the winter months, eliciting excitement from many. However, this year felt much different. Christmas came swiftly– one moment, it was the first of December, and the next, it was Christmas. The day then felt exceedingly shorter than it usually did in previous years.

I believe that the reason for this rushed feeling is due to the fact that we did not get out of school until the week before Christmas, thus making the month feel brief.

I can’t speak for all the students here at Quartz Hill, but I speak for myself when I say that Christmas was vastly overshadowed by the stress of finals mere days beforehand, combined with the looming fear of the semester grades locking. I remember my mom wanting to decorate for Christmas and asking for my help, but I couldn’t because I was busy studying for my math final the next day. This may not have been the case for everyone, but it was the case for me. I think that is the main reason why Christmas came so quickly in 2024.

Now, as for why it felt so short, that reason is the same as any year. The excitement over Christmas usually takes up most of November and all of December. The expectations are always high, becoming even higher on the day. Due to the excitement one feels throughout the month, Christmas Day typically becomes a blur of excitement for many people. Thus, it feels extremely short, and everyone wants it to last longer. This year, Christmas felt a lot shorter to me. It might have to do with the fact that, to put it plainly, I was too stressed to be excited. Once winter break started, I had barely any time to process before the festivities began. It was fun, though; despite the underwhelming weeks beforehand, I enjoyed my Christmas immensely. While it is undoubtedly not my favorite, it was still lovely and I was laughing for most of the night. I hope everyone else also enjoyed Christmas or any other holiday you might celebrate, despite the underwhelming feeling that came with Christmas last year.

While winter break felt underwhelming at first, I hope that everyone, whether you are staff or students, had an amazing time over the break. I hope 2025 will be a very exciting year for everyone. Happy Belated New Year!