It is almost that time of year again. Full of pine needles, silver bells, sparkling lights and presents. Oh, and I almost forgot. Final exams.

For many NDB students, finals put a damper on the usual cheer of the Christmas season. It can be hard to look forward to December 25 when worried about failing a chemistry test that is worth 20% of the semester’s grade.

It’s also difficult to watch family and friends from other schools viewing Christmas movies, decorating trees and shopping for presents while you are stuck making a note card for your statistics exam.

Christmas is really a holiday unlike any other. The ordeal does not last a day, it takes weeks. The day after Thanksgiving is when it is socially acceptable to begin celebrating, and the holiday cheer often lasts until New Year’s Day. That adds up to over a month of sparkling green, red and gold. If it were any other holiday, finals ending four days before would not be a problem. But in the case of Christmas, half of the time of celebration is clouded by the fear of upcoming exams.

Although the tests only last from Thursday to the following Tuesday, so four days, it can feel like it takes much longer due to all of the necessary studying. Not to mention that many classes have projects instead of finals, which may seem less stressful, but they often take even longer than studying for an in-person test.

“They’re so close to Christmas this year,” said NDB sophomore Kat Ochoa. “Then again, this is my first year being on campus”

Even after the tests are over, the stress is not. The scores are set to come out after break ends, which means that students will not know their first semester grades until the new year.

“Part of me is happy that we won’t get [final exam scores] during the break so the break will be ruined,” said NDB junior Sophie Fowler. “But another part of me is worried because I’ll probably be stressing about it during the break.”

There is no feeling quite like finishing that last final and realizing that nothing stands in the way of holiday excitement. It feels as if a heavy weight of essays and multiple choice answers has been lifted off your shoulders.

I urge my peers to not let finals ruin Christmas, but rather let Christmas motivate them to get through the finals season.

There is a Christmas tree at the end of the tunnel. And hopefully some presents too.