A Shirley Bennett Christmas

This is yet another reference to Community, so I apologize to those of you who don't watch the show, but I will explain. In season one, Shirley--the study group's only Christian member--decides to have a Christmas party for her friends at school. When she becomes upset with Jeff for fighting "on Christmas" the others remind her it is December 10th, not Christmas. But to Shirley it is Christmas, their Christmas, her best chance at Christmas because the study group is the closest thing she has to a family anymore.

S01E12, Comparative Religion

You'll have to watch the episode to discover how the conflict resolves, but fortunately the point I'm trying to make here doesn't depend on that. You see, this year my best friend decided we should have our own Shirley Bennett Christmas. We exchanged gifts, then ate mozzarella sticks and drank apple Izze juice while watching Olive, the Other Reindeer and A Charlie Brown Christmas. These two Christmas movies have been a kind of tradition for us since freshman year. Apart from the two finals we had to take that same day, it was a great day and a neat way to celebrate an early, college-friends-only Christmas. We had lunch with another friend (free fries at Burger King) and afterwards the two of us loaded up my car for the break, which I really appreciated. I would absolutely do it again, and I'm already looking forward to next year.

Shirley Bennett had it right in season one. Christmas with your family is always important, but if you're a college student, you should definitely celebrate Christmas with your friends, your college family, before you leave at the end of the fall semester. If you're short on money (like so many of us college students), you don't have to exchange gifts. But you can get together for a few hours, enjoy some Christmas treats, and watch a Christmas movie or two. It's one of my favorite college experiences and a great holiday tradition. Of course, include your friends from every religion, but maybe with a little more acceptance than Shirley ;)

Merry Christmas everyone!