Ah, holidays at Archer!

The biggest difference between December and all the other months of the year is that during December, Archer upper schoolers stress-eat even more than their normal snack load. 

When I was in middle school, I loved winter. Having Secret Snowflakes in advisory, looking forward to wearing free dress in upper school finals weeks, enduring days so chilly I didn’t want to sit outside at lunch. What was there not to love? But as the years progressed, I began to lose sight of my holiday cheer. Instead of looking forward to winter break, I dreaded the stress of finals. And so this year, I have decided: I will be festive during the entire month of December.

As I write this column, it’s December 2. So yes, that means that I have been officially cheery for only approximately thirty-six hours and fifteen minutes. I have left post-it notes on my computer and on my folded uniforms instructing me to “be cheery” and to not “succumb to seasonal stress!!!!!”

When I awoke this morning to a very brisk wind and a very dark room, it was tempting to fall right back asleep. The thought of my current workload and future finals studying further enticed me back to my bed.

So there I was, lying in my warm bed, falling back into sleep, and do you know what I did? I sat up, rose from my bed, got ready for school and marched right on over to the bus stop à la the soldiers in the Nutcracker. On the bus, my friend (shout out to India! Hi, India!) and I discussed our plans for Jane Austen Society’s Jane Austen Birthday celebration. And despite my overwhelming stress, I felt cozy and festive.  

For the rest of the day, when I felt waves of stress coming over me, I stopped, took a breath and sang “Jingle Bells” to myself. This will probably be my last December living at home, at least for a few years, and I will not ruin my last one at Archer by falling into a pit of doom. It’s not easy, but I am already feeling better about the whole exam stress thing than I usually do around this time.  I am almost dreading Winter Break, because I will miss my friends and my routine. (I know, I am such a dork). Almost, but not quite.

It’s crazy to think that in just four weeks, I will be coming back to school with only one semester of high school left. Even if you’re thinking “I cannot wait to go to college,” I’ll bet you something from the Student Store that a large part of you will be terrified to know that your time at Archer is coming to an inevitable end.

So this winter, do not succumb! Enjoy some hot coffee during a particularly cold morning or a make a festive plan with your advisory and, to paraphrase my seventh grade English teacher, “kick that winter gloom in the butt.”

And Archer? It’s cold outside. So please turn on the boiler.