Let’s be honest, school breaks are either way too long or way too short. Christmas break is one of those breaks that is usually two weeks long. However, the school system has a habit of making the break shorter and shorter every year. Now, given the circumstances this year, there was an actual reason as to why the break was cut short regarding  COVID-19 and school starting back on a later date. However, our Christmas break always ends around the same timestamp: between Jan. 6-9 depending on the day we get out. Now, the issue with this is that it’s way more time AFTER Christmas than it is BEFORE Christmas. While this may seem like an extra vacation, it would be so much nicer if we could have more time at the beginning of the break rather than having so much at the end. 

The first reason as to why this is true is because of the time you can spend doing activities with your family and friends. Many people like to get their Christmas shopping done during the times that their kids are out of school, and because our break ends this year on Dec. 22, it’s a lot harder for parents to go shopping for their children. Not to mention that some students prefer to visit their own friends during the time that school is out to do fun Christmas activities and shop for their own parents. 

To add to the argument, what happens after the day of celebration? To the individuals that don’t do anything after Christmas day, that leaves about 10 days, at most, where there is no more holiday magic. New Years’ leads us into a time where we have to take down all the decorations, ditch the red and green and all the holiday cheer fades away. We are stuck at home with family with nothing else to celebrate. All that’s left is empty days in January where we feel empty and cold from the loss of our magical holiday. The feeling we get leading up to Christmas is euphoric, and when that time is cut short because of how late we end the school semester, soaking up that Christmas feeling as much as possible is much harder. 

Despite all of this, the time we receive during our break is still a wonderful treat to enjoy. But it is easy to say that the shorter the time before Christmas, the harder it is to enjoy the traditions and festivities that come along with it. If you enjoy the Christmas season and wish for more time in the beginning, all you can do is try to enjoy the time you are given as much as possible.