Editor’s Desk: The Timing of Thanksgiving Break

This Nov. 29 issue of The Phoenix is our first issue back from Thanksgiving break and our second last of the semester.

Thanksgiving break, which ran from the Wednesday before the holiday and through the weekend, feels like it came at the best and worst time. I was able to go home to Walton Hills, Ohio — a suburb of Cleveland — with one of my best friends to see my mom, dad, sister, dog, grandparents and great aunt. 

While I edited the occasional article and worked on miscellaneous assignments, I was fortunate enough to make the five-day weekend a time for rest, relaxation and reflection.

I drove through downtown Cleveland with Izzy, a friend I’ve had since my first year at Loyola, helped make my family’s annual pumpkin roll and watched a Hallmark Christmas movie nearly every night with my family.

The reason it came at the “best” time is because it feels like all of my academically-related obligations — final projects, The Phoenix and exams — were all beginning to crescendo and it offered a break from the chaos. 

And for all those reasons, it was also the “worst” time.

The final weeks of the semester are, for obvious reasons, some of the most strenuous times for students.

Returning from break, I’ve already discussed with many of my classmates and friends how the time of rest resulted in a lack of motivation and excitement for the workload in the coming days. Balancing time for friends in these last days before winter break with deadlines, classwork and more has never been more difficult.

All the while, the dread of finishing my penultimate semester of college is looming over my and many of my peers’ heads.

I wish there was a positive turn in the column this week, but my heart goes out to all Loyola students. To read about those who came to the university in their later years, read our cover story in arts. In news, read about a professor who lived in the woods for years before returning to academics. Both feel more relevant than ever.

Featured image by Austin Hojdar / The Phoenix