As much fun as they are, it is no secret that the holidays are a stressful time. Whether you are a senior struggling to finish college applications, a student trying to get your grades up before finals, or just overwhelmed with life in general, this merry time full of traditions can quickly become a wintery nightmare. It can be easy to hide the overpowering truth of the holiday season under the guise of family, gifts, and cheer; but it is important to recognize that in order to truly appreciate this season you need to take time for yourself as well.

Since this time of year gets so busy, it is easy to overbook yourself. Saying yes to many plans can become too much and can lead to a feeling of disappointment when you can’t fulfill everything. In order to avoid this, it is important to set boundaries for yourself before the season begins. Determine what is most important to you and learn from your overplanning last year to decide what to commit to. Becoming more comfortable with saying “no” and taking time for yourself will help these holidays from being unbearable.

While time off from school is a nice break from the stresses of grades and extracurricular activities, the end of the first semester is considered to be one of the most stressful times of year. With finals and college applications due for seniors, these couple of weeks feel like they last a lifetime. There is a light at the end of the tunnel, however, with a nice long two week break after the last final is over. Keeping this in mind and setting personal goals can help give a much needed motivation boost going into these dreadful weeks.

Senior Olivia Roesch explained her process of getting through these final weeks: “I like to think about the holidays coming up. I celebrate Christmas, so I love buying gifts and wrapping them for my family and friends, and just looking forward to that.”

Once on this much needed vacation, you can still get bogged down with the looming threat of a second semester over your head. This can lead to anxious thoughts of what you still have to do or what awaits you back at school, so it is important to remind yourself that you deserve a break. This time off school is a free pass to relax and celebrate all you accomplished the semester before. So take time to relax and don’t feel bad while doing it.

A method to ignore these uncontrollable thoughts of school is to: “Close all my school tabs on my computer so that during the New Year I can restart. It also just helps me so when I go on to my computer I don’t think about school at all,” said Roesch.

There can be a lot of peer pressure during the holidays as well. Seeing your friends and peers going on extravagant vacations or going to social events can make you feel like those are things that you are missing out on. However, it is necessary to remember what these holidays are really about: gratitude and family. Reminding yourself what you are grateful for and spending quality time with family and friends is all you should be worried about during this time.

Junior Gracie Walburg commented on what this holiday season means to her: “The most important aspect of the holidays is spending time with family and friends because they are the really important people in my life.”

As the holidays begin to unfold, make sure to live in the moment. Pause and appreciate traditions that have been with you all your life because high school can pass you by quicker than you realize. Especially for seniors, savor this time with your family and friends and don’t take these last few moments at home for granted because soon your whole life will be different.