Christmas time is here. A time of frolicking and joy, when we embrace an altruistic ideology and put others ahead of ourselves for once. The Christmas feeling permeates everything we do, and sets the course for winter break, where we all go home from school and spend some time at rest.

Students spend the last week of school craving the next two weeks, as a minor form of senioritis affects all in anticipation of enough free time to fit a couple vacations in. Many will make elaborate plans, and have themselves exciting snow-bound adventures and Christmas-themed escapades.

There will be one day, though, where all social plans will be on hold. Students’ cars will be parked, and boyfriends and girlfriends will separate for the sake of love, just not their own. Christmas day itself is one of the few days a year where you really get a chance to examine just how important your family is. Because for that one day, they’re all that most of us see, and hopefully only the best they have to offer.

We as teenagers don’t think about it enough. Our siblings annoy us and our parents seem overbearing, and we spend our weekends away with people we feel are our best friends. We get mad at our family much more than we do any of our friends, and more often than not everything they want us to do comes off as dorky at times.

Nevertheless, they are always there. And I’m sure we can realize that it’s not such a bad thing. I’ve spent my fair amount of time watching my own baby videos (shamefully) and can’t help but notice just how happy I was, without the drama of high school life.

Family time during our childhood also shaped some of our most loved memories. There is no one too old for Disney movies you watched with your parents, and you’ll be hard pressed to find someone who didn’t love those old car mats you would use Hot Wheels on.

So this break, take some time to get a little nostalgic. As many problems as you may think they’ve caused, your family has sacrificed a lot for you. Your life has been shaped by what they’ve done for you, and taking one day to remember the great times you’ve shared will be worth it, as one last hoorah in your life before high school ends and you’re gone forever.