December first, to many, sets off a wave of Christmas spirit. Malls are so full of people that if you have a thought, you might not hear it. Houses are covered in reds and greens, and in every window there are trees. To kids and grown-ups, the holidays mean time for rest. To college students, December means time to stress. Children are rejoicing that Santa will be coming to town. While, the college kid is dreading that finals are coming around. Come December, you want to sing carols all day if you're like me. The problem is, finals stand between you and decorating the tree.

Nobody likes the "F-bomb," except maybe my dad. To the college student, that dreaded word is "finals". By Thanksgiving, we're all burnt out and ready to be home in our own beds, without having to set that alarm to wake up and cram one last time before the exam.

We're ready to listen to Christmas carols all day long and plant ourselves in front of the TV to watch the 25 days of Christmas marathon.

Instead, we get to stress and do nothing but read and study and read and study until finals are over, like ten days before Christmas.

Finals week consumes all of our time, leaves us stuck with the last minute shoppers, and robs us of a lot of joy. There's no time to build a snowman, woman, girl or boy. There's no time for ice skating, only awaiting test grading. So to finals, I say: I hope the curve grows three sizes that day!