Chieftain’s Declassified: Christmas
Your guide to Yuletide joy and a restful break
By Ryan Israel
Chieftain Staff
Ah, Christmas time, or more importantly, Christmas break time. Christmas break is the longest break from
school if you don’t count summer
break. Christmas break is the perfect
combination of a much needed hiatus
from the daunting
school year and the
joy and festivities
that surround everybody’s favorite
holiday, Christmas.
But Christmas
break is no cakewalk, and that’s
why Chieftain’s Declassified decided
to focus on the
survival of Christmas break. The three keys to surviving
Christmas break are rest, hot chocolate, and festiveness, which roll into
Tip#11.29C: The three necessities on
Christmas break are rest, hot chocolate,
and festiveness.
One of the greatest parts of Christmas break is being able to sleep in. You
may not be able to sleep in every day,
due to activities or sports, but you will
most likely get a couple of nights of
uninterrupted, and seemingly unending, sleep. Cherish those nights. This
sleep will provide a necessary break
from the constant struggle of studying every subject, every night, per the
request of Sr. Marie.
When you’re not sleeping, it’s not a
bad idea to watch TV. Christmas break
is the perfect time to binge-watch that
show on Netflix that all your friends
are talking about. The Chieftain staff
highly recommends shows on Netflix
including Narcos (one season), House
of Cards (three), The League (six) and
It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia (nine).
If you’re feeling bold, try tackling an
entire show over Christmas break. If
you’re in it for the long haul, start a
well-respected show with numerous
B R OTHE R R IC E H IG H S C H O O L C H I E F TA I N
seasons. Junior Emmett Conway puts
it best, saying, “It’s all about finding the
right show. If you can find something
truly exceptional, it will make watching
it a great experience.”
We have suffered miserably the
past two winters. Last year, the winter
temperature in Detroit averaged 20.9
degrees, making it the
city’s eighth coldest
winter. To get through
what could be yet another freezing winter,
hot chocolate (or coffee, if that’s what you
prefer) is another mandatory part of Christmas break.
If you’re
going to
spend your
time shoveling the driveway or pelting cars with CC
stickers with snowballs, it is
a good idea to have a warm
beverage at hand. And when
we say warm beverage, we
don’t mean any caramel
macchiato spiced-vanilla
frappuccino whipped latte
from Starbucks. I mean
straight coffee or hot chocolate, nothing fancy. In some
cases, however, this cold
weather can be beneficial.
In 2014, Christmas break
was extended by three days
due to a large and perfectly
timed snowstorm that cancelled the first few days after
break. If a storm like that
could come around at the
same time this year, it would
be much appreciated by all
students.
Christmas is a time to be
merry and festive. Having a
little festivity over Christmas
break is required to truly
enjoy the season. A great
way to quickly get into the
spirit is to tune in to channel
P AGE 5
100.3 FM (the Christmas music station)
as you commute to school. If you want
to be like a Marian girl, hang some
festive Christmas lights in your room
and take a picture of it to post on your
Instagram! #lights #artsy #cute
Another great way to get into the
Christmas spirit is to purchase a tacky
Christmas sweater and not take it off for
the entire Christmas break, no matter
how sweaty it gets. And don’t forget
to spend some time with your family,
enjoying the Christmas season.
As far as the rest of Christmas break
goes, you’re on your own, good luck,
and have a Merry Christmas!
D E C E M B E R 2015