BY: MELODY ORTIZ
BY Melody ORTIZ
It is no secret that college students living away from their families may feel pressured to make holiday visits, but with the restrictions and risks Covid-19 has given the perfect excuse to skip the trip this year.
Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukkah and any family-gathering holidays bring stress to most people, especially college students. Students can use quarantine and the stricter restrictions to take a step back and reevaluate their priorities.
This is the perfect year for students struggling with money, time, school and their mental health to take some time for themselves and celebrate the holidays more intimately.
This could be a good time to try to reflect on what people are truly grateful for this Thanksgiving. This is the time to try out recipes without the pressure of messing it up.
Make dinner for one or two without the duty of cleaning a thousand dishes.
This is a time for people to not worry about dressing in a way that makes them look thinner so their aunt doesn’t notice all the quarantine weight they’ve put on. A time to enjoy one’s singleness with close friends or roommates instead of being bombarded with questions about their relationships (or lack of).
This year is the year of new traditions. This holiday season should be no different. Keep the traditions that were loved, lose ones that were stressful and make more to test out.
As for the Christmas season, which is an even more tiring one, students can save more than just stress.
They won’t have to worry about buying as many gifts this year, or any at all.
For those who just love the feeling of giving gifts, try doing a secret Santa with friends, sending packages instead of meeting up at a party. If someone is feeling a little more adventurous, they can participate in Imgur’s secret Santa event. Imgur is an image sharing website/app. Participants must sign up with their Imgur account. They will receive a match (someone else who signed up) on Dec. 1 and have until Christmas to send their gift. Anyone interested can visit imgur.com/Secretsanta.
To reiterate something people need to hear every year, it is not all about the presents. Watch holiday-favorite movies, decorate in a more personal and unique way. Don’t worry about what ornaments people think are appropriate.
Choose what Christmas really means. Is it a religious holiday? Is it a feel-good holiday? Is it a necessary holiday? It is up to each person to answer these questions and fit the holidays into their lives accordingly.
Those who have jobs may not feel secure enough to ask for time off to travel, as it is already hard to get a job during these times.
Students can use some of that money that’s being saved to treat themselves for the holiday. If any family member complains about not getting a gift from them, that should be an easy sign on where they stand.