It’s that time of year again — Miss Mariah Carey has officially defrosted. Christmas break is right around the corner, and if you’re anything like me, you’ve been ready for the semester to be over since August.

December 15th is the last official day of the semester. That’s when finals are done and you’re set free… until classes start again. Classes start back up on January 17th, so remember that as you’re making your plans.

Let’s get the boring information out of the way first, shall we? Just because classes are over for the semester doesn’t mean that school just goes away.

It’s important to still accomplish what needs to be done over break. That means you will probably have to check your email at some point.

The first thing to do is plan for the spring semester. If you haven’t already, I cannot stress this enough — enroll for classes. The last day to change your schedule is January 23rd.

If you have your schedule, start looking for your books. If you are ordering online they might take longer because of shipping during the holidays.

Don’t put off buying your books until the last minute. Pro tip, check the bookstore first, but if they’re expensive buy them online or find a PDF version.

College scholarships are available right now until February 1st. Looking for scholarships within your field of study can greatly increase your chances of receiving that extra funding. Break is a perfect time to write scholarship applications.

Now, it’s important to remember that you’re supposed to be taking a break — after all that is the whole point.

You can enjoy this time of year, whether you are going home or staying on campus. It’s not only important to spend some time with your family, but also to take some time for yourself. You won’t be getting a long break like this until summer.

Since classes end with plenty of time before Christmas, you can do some last minute shopping if you’re like me and haven’t figured out what to get everyone.

I’m a big fan of Christmas movies so watch as many as your heart desires. Some of my personal favorites are “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation,” “Home Alone” and “The Santa Clause.”

Break out the pajama pants and hot chocolate and get to watching. If you’re not into the cliche Christmas movies, watch “Die Hard,” and don’t let anyone tell you it’s not a Christmas movie.

For a college student, Christmas break can be a blessing. Take your time to destress after finals and enjoy yourself.

Be with your family or friends or whoever you want to spend time with. Soak up as much of that lazy, happy time as possible because before you know it you’ll be right back to no sleep and walking on campus in the cold.