Most people love Christmas time because they love being with family and receiving gifts. This time is nice to have, but it should be used for more than just relaxing and playing games. The break we get for Christmas is valuable time, and it should be used to its fullest potential. Playing the latest game and eating home-cooked food is great, but so is getting a good grade on your midterms. Midterms start Jan. 10, which is only a single week after everyone returns from break. Christmas break is 11 days long, including weekends. This is plenty of time for us to not only spend time relaxing and doing fun things, but also to catch up on homework and refresh ourselves on our studies. So, instead of pulling an all-nighter playing your new favorite game, get some sleep and study the next day. Even looking at your notes or homework a few times will help keep the material in your head. By no means does this mean to study all break long, but there is a good chance that if you don’t look at anything you will forget something important. In some classes, it is difficult to get a good grade when you have a normal schedule, let alone when you have a long break. The pressure to remember all of the information when you see it every other day is bad; imagine not looking at it for 11 to 12 days. Plus, with an 11 day break, what are the chances you will have something to do all day, everyday? Don’t just lie around being bored; work on something you aren’t great at or go over something that you don’t know well. This could give you a boost of confidence in the subject or just freshen your memory. You can make some flash cards, quiz yourself, or if you’re up for it, make a catchy jingle to memorize something. If your family is there, ask them to help. Make a trivia-style game and have the entire family play; then you’re having fun, spending time with family and studying. This way you won’t have a horrible, boring time studying your chemistry. Overall, put your break to use. Have fun and work a little. Eat merrily, play games, have fun and study some.