Are the holidays really the most wonderful time of the year?
With the winter season upon us and the end of the first semester being right around the corner, Bruins can start to feel the utter exhaustion of balancing holiday traditions with ongoing study habits and their other academic responsibilities.
We at the Current asked fellow Bruins how they felt about the holidays. To our surprise, not everyone felt the same.
Junior Kasey Patrick told us why shes loves the holidays and explained how they sometimes take a toll on her when it comes to her academics.
“I love the holidays because it’s pretty much the one time of year you get to dedicate all your time to your family and do family stuff,” said Patrick. “But during the holidays is gets really emotional because I think about my dad and I really just don’t want to study for finals.”
Senior Karinne McDonald shared her views the holidays.
“I’m 50/50 about them,” explained McDonald. “I love them because of all the holiday traditions that my family has, plus I love seeing my little brother grow up and acknowledge what Christmas and everything is. It’s amazing to watch. But then again I can’t provide the gifts for my family that I think they deserve, so it makes me kinda sad because I want to do more.”
She went on to explain why it disrupts her study habits.
“I believe it greatly affects academics because you want to focus on your family and give the most of your time to them but you also don’t want to fail,” said McDonald. “So it’s a struggle trying to prioritize and balance the two equally.”
Junior Chana Ferguson had an opposing viewpoint and talked about how she doesn’t enjoy the holidays at all.
“I really don’t like the holidays,” said Ferguson. “I’m Jewish, so we have completely different traditions. Plus my family hates one another so during the holidays we all just kind of do our own thing.”
Bear River’s Principal Dr. Amy Belser expressed how much she loves the holidays, specifically Thanksgiving.
“I really love Thanksgiving,” said Dr. Besler. “My family has the best recipes for all the delicious Thanksgiving food and, of course, the Cowboys always play on Thanksgiving, so that’s a plus. It’s just a great day to hang out with family, cook, eat, watch football, play games, and generally have fun together. It feels less stressful than Christmas, and I like that, too.”
She went on to talk about how it affects her work ethic just as much as the students.
“I am one of those people who always wants to do extra work when I have time off,” she said. “Even though I really should just take a complete break from it, mentally and physically. It’s nice to have a pause in the school year to reflect on how things have been going and gear up for what’s ahead. I am a planner and like to always be several steps ahead of where I need to be.”
Dr. Besler commented on how great it is that the Bruin community participates in holiday fundraisers and hopes to see different religious holidays participate more this year, so we as a Bruin Nation can expand our cultural knowledge.
“It seems that Christmas always receives the most attention, for whatever reason, though we do always have a great deal of participation in community service-related activities this time of year, which also connects to themes related to Thanksgiving, as our Bruins are showing gratitude and concern for others,” Dr. Besler explained. “I would love to see Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, and other holidays that occur during this season be shared more widely; it’s always great to learn about the cultures, traditions, and religions with which we are not personally familiar. Of course, this is a public school, so we do not teach religious holidays, but cultural awareness is absolutely part of a comprehensive education. We have tried in recent years to shift from such a Christmas focus to ensure that all winter holidays are warmly embraced.”
