The timeline of Halloween to New Years is hands down the most chaotic time of the year. It’s hard to decipher whether it’s my favorite season or the most mentally draining. But after taking time to reflect, I’ve come to a conclusion: It’s both!
As temperatures drop and fall comes to a close, I wanted to go through my typical timeline of this era of life; I’m sure many other college students share similar experiences.
It all kicks off with Halloween— or if you’re in college, “Halloweekend”. This is where the fun events spark: costumes are thrown together, everyone becomes connected again, and a sense of freedom is in sight. Memories are created and responsibilities are put aside.
But next… It’s daylight savings time. It gets dark at 5 p.m. and you have to adjust and fix your sleep schedule. And then of course, in regard to this year, election day occurs.Â
Although, it’s okay, because the weekend comes again. Formals start up and the vibes are back. The weekends are the saving components of this season.
And then, before we know it, the cold and flu season hits its peak. You might dodge this time for a while, but it becomes inevitable to catch a deadly-feeling illness that will leave you bedridden for a few days.Â
Don’t worry though! Thanksgiving break begins to come in sight. Everyone gets to go home for a week to decompress and enjoy time with family and friends.
But wait, once you come back, assignments are piling up, you have loads of laundry to do, a room to clean, and projects and tests are back.Â
It’s okay though! Because the next event in sight is Christmas. This time we get a month to relax. The semester is over and a huge sense of relief comes back.
But don’t forget that before you can get there, you have to get through finals week (a.k.a. hell week). You’re sleep deprived, pale, and over everything.Â
But hey Christmas does come and then New Years is next. You once again get to go through a time of fun and relief without having to worry about school.Â
However, then we return back to school where the cycle continues.
At least you get to reunite with college friends.
However, you have to fix that sleep schedule, deal with the realities again, and experience the good and bad all over again.Â
Every year is different and brings new changes and new beginnings, but the patterns of this time period can be pretty universal as a student here. We may have different lives, but I think we can all agree, this timeline is a crazy time of the year.Â
Keep in mind that not everyday is going to be perfect and to take this era of life day by day. This time of year is full of highs and lows, but we’re all in this together.Â