As Christmas, New Years, and winter break swiftly approach, one semester at NECC is coming to an end. Because the coronavirus pandemic caused significant disarray for most throughout the last several months, many are feeling excited and relieved about this upcoming conclusion.
After speaking with numerous NECC students regarding their holiday plans and traditions, they mainly revolve around a joyous occasion spent with family, friends, presents, and resolutions.
Shanely Jimenez, 18, a student taking ASL courses, stated that she and her family love spending the holidays together and traditionally gather every year for a Christmas and New Year’s Eve party.
“We wait until twelve to hug and kiss everyone. It usually ends with all of us girls in tears,” she said.
Jimenez’s favorite Christmas movie is “Elf” and she says that if she could be any Christmas character, she would choose Santa Claus because she wants to make sure that her loved ones are taken care of. Jimenez’s New Year’s resolutions are “To move out of my parent’s house and find self-love.”
Victoria Martinez, 19, a health major from Haverhill, stated “I’m actually looking forward to winter break and am excited for a fresh start.”
As semester one has helped her to improve her time management skills and work ethic, Martinez says that she will be spending winter break preparing for next semester.
For Christmas, her family tradition is to participate in “Secret Santa,” an activity in which everyone is anonymously assigned a person to give a gift to and the recipient has to guess whom they received the present from.
Martinez also stated that she loves eggnog, her favorite Christmas movie is “Home Alone”, and that she prefers real Christmas trees over fake ones.
“For some people, Christmas is about Christ and religion, for others it’s about trees, gifts, and Santa; Christmas is just another day for me,” says Isa Grullon, 34, a journalism and communications major from Lawrence, who is also editor-in-chief of the NECC Observer.
Generally, Grullon does not celebrate Christmas or New Years, and typically spends the holidays at work.
Grullon is, however, excited for winter break and states “I’ll have one less thing to worry about.”
Her advice to those preparing for semester two of online college is to “Keep an open mind and don’t overwhelm yourself with the workload. It’s okay to take things slow because each class is one step toward your goal.”
Grullon stated that if she could be any Christmas character, she would choose the Grinch because she can relate the character’s point of view.
She also wants “a personal blender, a reporter’s notebook, a can opener, and a 2021 Lexus RX 350 F Sport in Mica Red with Cookies n’ Cream colored seats and a red bow on top” for Christmas.
As cheerful and elated as the holiday season may be, it can also be a very challenging and stressful time for some.
Jimenez, Martinez, and Grullon all encourage NECC students to stay positive, relax and enjoy their much-deserved vacation, take life responsibilities one step at a time, and gradually prepare for next semester.
