15 Days of Christmas: Make the best of the whole Christmas season

Here’s an unpopular opinion: the best part of Christmas isn’t Christmas. It’s the weeks leading up to it.

Singing carols and looking at lights from the car, watching holiday specials on TV with family, and eating wintry food all make the weeks leading up to break joyful. It doesn’t get much better than decorating the Christmas tree while listening to Christmas music for the first time all year.

All of that fun over the course of several weeks is way better than one day of opening up presents and driving through snow to a relative’s house for dinner.

And although it’s a hard reality to face for seniors, it’s time to realize that for many, this has been their last full Christmas season at home. Most college-bound kids will make it home at least a few days before Christmas, but not necessarily for early December, when the Christmas season begins.

No matter how much seniors love opening presents under the tree, they have to admit that the idea of the family decorating their tree without them next year just seems a little wrong. Feeling panicked yet?

Underclassmen should take note to really enjoy the entire holiday season, starting next year. But it’s not too late for seniors — and everyone else — to make some special Christmas season memories this year.

Block out some extra time to stake out on the couch and watch Elf. Offer to help decorate Christmas trees for extended family. Make an extra effort Christmas shopping this year; investing in thoughtful gifts that friends and family will actually enjoy. Go downtown to Market Square to enjoy the decorations, market, and ice skating rink. Buy some gingerbread houses and decorate them with friends. Make sure to help out in making Christmas treats like cookies and casseroles.

Spending extra time with friends and family this holiday season won’t only help students savor these last holiday seasons at home, but it’ll also improve the overall quality of their Christmas. On Christmas morning when students are sitting on the couch after a long day of visiting family, they’ll feel much more content that they did something with their Christmas season — before those seasons at home are all over.

All in all, don’t be a Grinch this Christmas. No one will regret making this Christmas season the best one yet. It might start a trend of Christmases that are even better.