Whistling Christmas Songs in November

When I was younger, each month had some holiday to look forward to. I wasn't necessarily focusing on the message that each one sent, but the simplest result of being out of school and exempt from any and all work for 24 hours. That one day was complete bliss. How easily satisfied I was (and still am) with the idea of a 4 day week.

The month of December however, was/is (I guess that's a matter of opinion) the best month of all. Each school or university generously allots their students over a week to enjoy and celebrate this popular holiday. Although the month starts and ends like any other, the spirit of December begins immediately around Thanksgiving.

Stores, little to big, decorate their windows with spray frost, which conveniently lines the glass while lending itself perfectly to the advertising of their product. Designer bags are showcased within frayed cotton balls or laundry detergent textured material that was supposed to assume the role of snow. All while Christmas music whispered sweet hints of it's looming influence on the hole that will be burnt into your pocket.

It comes like a whirlwind. The excitement takes over and, while tree sales hit an all time high, people want time to go a bit quicker so we can go on with the celebration. I'm not sure if it's the actual break from working and vacation everyone is looking forward to, or if it's the idea that families really do come together and the giving spirit kicks in.

No matter what the reason is for everyones elation, I have come to one conclusion. The best part of this month, when you strip away the gifts and the relaxing break, is really the change in each individuals attitude. Somehow things get lighter, no matter what the financial straights or current issues are. People are more courteous, and speak to each other with more sincerity than Shari Lewis to Lamb Chop; for lack of a better child television show reference from my time.

It's not that I have just discovered this recently, but was presented with it just a few weeks ago. Target was packed; more specifically the card sections. It took me forever to find the perfect card for my friend. Fortunately I was able to pick one from any holiday as long as it said happy Halloween, happy Thanksgiving and merry Christmas in one (she was, after all, missing all of them while studying abroad). Of course I chose the one that made me laugh the loudest in the isle; which always requires and encompasses the humor of a middle schooler.

Later on that day, I ended up standing proudly at the post office (impressed with the timeliness that I was mailing some of my Christmas cards) waiting in what seemed like the line for the first midnight showing of Harry Potter. How prepared I thought I was for bringing the exact amount of change for 5 stamps. I knew this would surprise the mail woman. However, she unexpectedly surprised me. Not realizing the inflation of prices in stamps, I found myself short by 94 cents. (Don't ask me how that happened. I am still puzzled by the math.)

I believe I looked at her confused for a good 3 minutes before I was saved by the older woman standing directly behind me. "I have a quarter," she said to me. She then promptly turned to the thousands of people behind her and said, "does anyone have 69 cents?" It was then that I realized that each person in line was rummaging through their pockets and purses to get me, a complete stranger, the 94 cents I needed to send my middle school humored card to my best friend in Japan.

I ended up getting all 5 stamps and repeating the phrase "thank you" to every person in line. And, as if I were in a feel good Lifetime movie, each person smiled back at me until a man at the end of the line finished the ordeal perfectly by opening the door for me and saying, "beauty before age."

The World As A Student Knows It

I have always enjoyed openning a newspaper. Not just because my newer pair of Lens Crafter frames and a New York Times makes me feel intellectual, but because the combination of the paper's weight in my hands accompanied with a blueberry bagel and mocha latte are the perfect start to my morning. That ever-changing group of text keeps me flipping through the pages while giving me a subtle whiff of that specific scent reminicent of my high school years in journalism.

In 2008, however, it is more foreboding than anything else to open a newspaper. Each day a new title in a menacing black Times New Roman font is a reality slap to citizens across the nation. "Jobless Rate Soars to 6.7% in November," "Auto Industry Fails," "Workers Give Up." These are only the articles that line the front page of the New York Times today, and they don't inspire much optimism.

With only a few months left to cling to guidance and a life filled with social aspects and classroom learning, I can only say that the future scares me. Knowing only slightly the direction of my career has already posed an interesting threat to my blood pressure, not to mention the economic recession I may face when I graduate.

What is a student to do? The answer I have gotten most often is: do what every student does...go with it and work through it. As much as I appreciate the advice, I was never good with vauge answers. Like many students about to gradute, I wish there were some type of manual but I guess living without one is what makes life invigorating.

For now, the only things I know for sure is that I am a senior, hoping to find a direction, graduating in 2009 and joining a world whose headlining stories always make me wonder what will happen next.