Holidays for high schoolers: Hassle or happiness?

CENTRAL PARK SNOW during the holiday season. (Micheal Lee/Getty)

Celia Mann | Social Media Editor

November 7, 2024

November 1st- the “official” date when the holiday season commences for the average American. Between Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year, this time of year is known to be full of joy, festivities, and time spent with loved ones. But for those in high school, do the holidays still hold the same magical feeling commonly associated with the season? Recently, this doesn’t seem to be the case.

Between AP classes, finals, sports events, and college applications, it appears that high schoolers no longer have even a moment to slow down and soak in the glory of the holidays. High school, a balancing act in itself, becomes even more complicated when activities like spending time with loved ones, decorating, and shopping for gifts are added to the checklist. Junior at San Clemente High School, Paige Williams, shared that the holiday season is “more stressful, during high school especially, because all of [her] classes are starting to ramp up and finals are just around the corner.”

While students are given time off for both Thanksgiving and Christmas, to many this short break doesn’t feel like enough. Williams continued that she is “always stressing over school, so by the time it’s Christmas break, [she] only has a few days left to enjoy the holidays” before they come to a close. Senior at San Clemente Aubrey Young agreed that “[she] feels more stressed to find out how [she] did on her exams rather than enjoying [her] time during the holiday.” This constant stress drains the light feelings of joy and celebration usually experienced during the “happiest months of the year.”

STUDENT STUDYING during the Christmas season. (@pintrest)

Typically, friends and family come together on each holiday to participate in sharing home-cooked meals, icing Christmas cookies, and throwing parties on New Year’s Eve. But this seems to be the only day of the break when high school students receive a chance to unwind. Instead of wrapping gifts, students are wrapped up in the whirlwind of due dates, perfect grades, and achieving high test scores.

Although the holidays commonly instill stress in teens across the country, there continue to be traditions that some wait all year for. Many families travel for the holidays, including Young’s family. She reminisced on the trips she takes each year around the holidays “to New York or Ohio to visit family” where she’s “always happy to be reunited with those [she] has missed.” Even simple activities like ice skating, watching staple Christmas movies, or shopping with family on Black Friday remain the highlights of the year. Not to mention the feeling after taking the last final and submitting the last assignment. Williams explained, “it’s so rewarding because I’ve finished all my finals and can finally enjoy the holidays.”

While there’s no doubt that the holiday season remains a favorite of many across the globe, the magic glow that surrounds these days starts to fade for high schoolers, as other priorities fill the place of previous festivities. As Young so perfectly put it, “the holidays have become less “magical” than when we were kids. We have less time to hang out with friends and make core memories when our time is filled with what makes up our future.”

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