There's no denying that every student coming home for the holidays experiences a huge wave of relief come Christmas break. Finals are over and typically, they can sleep in, eat real food, play with their pets and see family and friends without having to say "I can't, I have to study." Many students will come home and immediately resort to binge watching five different series on Netflix and then head back once they realize break is over. Is that what the holidays are all about now?
When Christmas rolls around, we always have at least one, sometimes four, family members come from out of state to stay with us for the holidays. The days that they stay are filled with stories, baking, adventures, picture taking and lots of laughs and love. As I only get to see these family members once every year or two, I tend to try to make the most out of my time with them; however, I've also heard some of my peers brag about spending as little as time as possible with their family and as much time as possible with their Netflix account.
When did the Christmas holidays become about bingeing? Millennials will complain to "put the 'Christ' back in 'Christmas,'" but they might as well end up calling it "Queuemas," as their holidays will be spent with a queue of shows and movies to waste their days and nights with. I'm not saying there's something wrong with watching a Christmas movie (or 10) or even catching up on that series you missed -- but there's something wrong with the mentality that Christmas break is for making up for lost TV time.
In case you missed that, here's the definition of that weird ole word:
Queuemas: the holiday in which students will spend all of Christmas break with their Netflix accounts, bingeing as many movies and series as possible whilst simultaneously missing what Christmas is really all about.
Christmas should be spent decorating the house with garland, tinsel and lights. It should be spent going through recipe books and baking everything possible with the ingredients in the fridge and pantry. It should be spent making too many cups of hot cocoa and sitting in front of the fire with family and friends, followed by exchanging gifts with those near and dear to your heart. Christmas should be spent recognizing the true meaning of Christmas: Jesus Christ, and honoring him in all of the things done this holiday. Christmas shouldn't be about how many shows we can cram into our three- or four-week vacations from school. We need to go back to Christmas and get rid of "Queuemas."