With the holiday break having arrived a day earlier than expected, NASH students are embarking on a long list of activities they plan on completing before the return to school on January 3. 

Evan Enwright weighed in on how he will be spending his break.

“I will be traveling to Ohio for a few days to visit my aunt and grandma and have a small family reunion,” he said. “They both own several dogs and cats, so traveling there is always a fun time. We are celebrating Christmas with some of my family in Ohio and most likely throwing a party with our neighbors for New Years.”

However, although popular, Christmas and New Years are not celebrated by everyone. Spanning different religions and cultures, many students will be using winter break to their advantage, regardless of their religious affiliation. A key example is Lamees Subeir.

“I’m not celebrating any winter holidays as I’m Muslim,” Subeir said. “Our two major holidays (Eid-Al-Fitr and Eid-Al-Adha) are at different times each year, but this coming year they will be in April and June, respectively. However, I do love the holiday season, as I love seeing decorations and playing in the snow.”

Subeir plans on making the most of winter break.

“I plan to finish up some work, relax, and start rehearsals for a new play I’ll be in. I’ll be working on college applications and watching movies with my family for a large part of the break, and I might visit DC for a couple of days,” she said. 

Similarly, Siddarth Jayakrishnan plans on making up for missed time.

“I plan to catch up on family time missed during the college app hustle from autumn, spend time with friends, and stay up at night binging movies,” he said.

Admittedly, winter break feels different for some students, specifically seniors. Subeir reflected on her feelings about her last winter break in high school.

“I’ll be reflecting a lot on the last four years during this time,” she said. “Also, this has been a really eventful and important year for me. I faced a lot of challenges that I turned into motivation and opportunity, so I’ll definitely be journaling and reflecting over winter break.”

Regardless of their plans over break, it’s safe to say that nearly all students will return in January feeling it was much too short.