With Christmas Eve mere hours away, I decided to keep the title of this post short and sweet. I hope it finds you already enjoying and making the most of your time with family and friends, and that you are returning to traditions you missed last year, creating new ones in the face of the continued challenges the pandemic is still putting before us, or doing a combination of both. However you celebrate Christmas, other December holidays, and/or the simple pleasure of vacationing and relaxing with people you don’t always get to see or spend time with, remember the advice I gave in my previous post, and be present in each moment, because this time of celebrating and relaxing will inevitably end too soon, and before you know it, the new year and return to school will be upon you. When that happens, you will want to make sure you have special memories to look back on, as well as that you’ve taken all the time you need to rest and recharge, so you are ready to face the new year feeling refreshed.
As I have stated in my two previous posts about the holidays, remember that continuing to build your study skills even as you are enjoying both much-anticipated celebrations and a well-deserved break is not an impossible task. Prioritizing celebrations and other special events and activities is key, but so is finding the time to do any work you may need to do. These next two days are most likely not the time for your studies, but hopefully you’ve taken my advice and planned to treat the other days as you would weekends throughout the year, giving your all to whatever fun you have planned, but finding time on otherwise less-scheduled days to do any work you may have, so you don’t procrastinate until the very last day of your break, then realize that you do not have enough time to finish what you need to do.
If you are traveling, don’t forget that the time you spend getting to your destination and returning from it can provide a great opportunity to work without interrupting your vacation plans. If you did not do this as you traveled to your destination, it’s not too late – just plan to get some work accomplished on your way home! If you did not bring your written work or assigned reading with you on your trip, don’t forget what I said about reading for pleasure. Even if you didn’t bring a pleasure book with you and you don’t receive one as a gift, you can always borrow one from someone you are staying with, ask to read something a parent or sibling got as a gift (probably after they do, unless they’ve received more than one book or you can find a way to take turns reading the same book even when you’re also busy celebrating), or download a book onto your mobile device. Ask for recommendations from the people you’re with, and share your interests with them to help them decide what they think you might like. Ask what their interests are, too – they might just spark a new interest for you!
No matter whom you are with on your vacation, remember that completing any work you may have and reading for school and for fun are not the only ways to learn and build your study skills this holiday. When you are with your relatives and friends, especially grandparents and other elders, make sure you talk to them, and, even more, that you listen to what they have to say. Not only will you thrill them by sharing your life with them and taking a genuine interest in theirs, you will develop your speaking and listening skills as well. Though reading and writing are usually the main focus of developing good study skills, oral communication matters just as much, so taking time to practice it on your vacation while making those you’re with happy in the process is a win-win.
I hope you are enjoying your holiday so far, and that you have even more good times ahead. However you celebrate and whomever you’re with, the holiday is the priority, but study skills need not be abandoned in order to make the most of your time. Be present in each moment, find the right balance, and take advantage of the opportunities you have to work, read, and communicate with those around you, and when the vacation ends and you return to school in the new year, you’ll be glad you did.