The Fourth of July is cool, St. Patrick’s Day is cute and Thanksgiving is fun. While these other holidays are all fine and dandy, they don’t even come close to The Holidays. As the fall semester draws to a close, we’re rapidly approaching the most magical time of the year. The limit of our excitement doesn’t exist.
It’s the little things that make us the most giddy — the twinkly lights on Fourth Street and the increased availability of eggnog make this month that much more special. The fact that this time is shared with our family at home and is entirely free of problem sets and midterms makes December our favorite month of the year.
Our talent for impulse shopping and complete disregard for our bank account balance is finally useful as we go hilariously overboard on gift-buying once again. The joy on our friends and family’s faces when they open the gifts that we got them is a better feeling than when we leave our last final. Our aunt’s facial expression after opening the automatic hand soap dispenser we got for her warms our cold and stony heart.
Yet another perk of the holiday season is that it presents us with a Get Out of Jail Free card for our diet. That means the base of our food pyramid is cookies, the middle portion is candy canes, and the top is composed solely of eggnog and hot chocolate. The need to fatten up for wintertime to stay warm and make it through our post-finals hibernation makes unhealthy eating entirely pragmatic.
We know that the holidays aren’t for everyone.
Perhaps you really don’t love the obligation of seeing certain extended family members during this time of the year. Or maybe your fear of gift-wrapping since what you like to call the Great Tape Fiasco of 2012 still haunts you in your sleep. Sure, “Jingle Bell Rock” can get a bit grating after the 458th time we hear it. Despite these minor pitfalls, we at the Clog are ready to ingest powdered sugar and poop holly and tinsel. Give us all of the spiked apple cider and carolers. Step aside, Santa Claus. We’ve got dibs on every cookie in the continental United States. This is our time to shine.
