For the past however many days, we all studied as hard as we could for finals, wishing for Christmas break to come. And now it's here. Finally! A chance to relax, take a break from constantly doing school work, and most importantly, reconnect with family and friends.

As exciting as this break is, we must exercise caution with how much downtime we allot ourselves to avoid the post-break slump. Here are some tips for how to own your Christmas break.

Early to bed, early to rise, makes a young man/woman/person healthy, wealthy, and wise as the old ditty goes. Go to bed early and wake up early to a) start forming a healthy habit and b) recover from all of those sleepless nights.

Eat healthy and exercise. Being college students, it's much easier to skip the gym in favor of studying longer and grab a slice from Crossroads rather than walk down to Kimball and eat a healthy meal. Use your break to rediscover some healthy habits and pay attention to how your body feels.

Find your zen. Go to church with your family, do some yoga, meditate, reflect, write in your journal- unwind and connect with yourself.

Prepare for your next classes. Get a leg up on your next classes by doing a little research, reading parts of the textbook, take some notes. Don't spend your entire break doing this, but definitely keep doing some schoolwork to keep your mind fresh. Especially for foreign languages, take the time to review the previous semester(s)' worth of vocabulary and grammar, so you can feel confident going into your classes.

Do fun things that you haven't been able to do. Go get some killer bubble bath, go to your favorite restaurant, go see a fun movie, get out and enjoy life! Spend some time with family and friends doing things that you can't always do at college.

Get in the Christmas spirit! Bake some cookies for neighbors, volunteer, reflect on what Christmas truly means, and give, give, give. Giving not only edifies other people, but edifies and recharges our own soul.

Enjoy winter wonders. Winter wonders such as peppermint hot chocolate, Christmas cookies, and other holiday treats only exist during the holidays! Don't just settle for average peppermint hot chocolate, purchase some nice chocolate, heavy cream, peppermint, and make a decadent cup of chocolate. Spend some time in the snow, making snowmen and sledding. Enjoy all that comes with winter.

Christmas Break is all about spending time with family, introspection, reflection, and preparing for the next phase of life. While we all need to take a break, take some time to reestablish healthy habits.