Before you know it, Ohio University will take its annual Winter Break. This is a month for students and faculty to catch their breath from a busy Fall Semester and then gird their loins for an even busier Spring Semester.
Rather than head back to mom and dad’s for the month-long break (Dec. 11 to Jan. 10 this school year), a significant fraction of OU off-campus students remain in Athens. They have a nice (or maybe not so nice) apartment or house to hang out in. They might even have the place to themselves if all the house or apartment mates head home for Christmas.
If you haven’t decided yet on your Winter Break plans this school year, consider the following pros and cons of staying in Athens for break.
Advantages of Staying in Athens for Winter Break
• As mentioned, you might have your house to yourself. Lounge around in your briefs all day. Watch whatever you feel like watching on TV. Play your music as loud as you want. Leave the dishes in the sink. Rifle through your housemates’ dresser drawers (ha, ha, just kidding on that one… or are we?).
• Uptown Athens bars and restaurants won’t be very crowded. In fact, some of them might close for the entire break.
• You should be able to find a job in the Athens area during the winter break. Food service, retail, UPS… Start looking now.
• You can enjoy the relatively warm early-winter temperatures in Athens during Winter Break (this is a relative “pro” that only applies if you’re from northern Ohio or other northern climes).
• Athens is almost certainly a cooler place to hang out than your hometown, even during break when 90 percent of your peers are gone.
• In Athens, you won’t run the risk of encountering the ex-girlfriend/boyfriend from high school who has been plotting sadistic revenge since you dropped her/him last summer.
• You’ll have unlimited options for parking your car.
• The Athens area has many options for hiking, and Winter Break is an ideal time to get out in the woods, as long as it’s relatively dry. If it’s a wet December, the bike path remains a great option.
• When it comes to Christmas shopping, you’ll have all of the funky little shops in Athens to choose from. (This also can be included as a “con.”) Just be careful you don’t repeat your Christmas gift choices from last year – “OHIO” this and “OHIO” that.
Disadvantages of Staying in Athens During Winter Break
(Many of the “cons” of staying in town are the same as the “pros”; it’s just a matter of perspective.)
• You might have your Athens rental apartment or house to yourself. And after the third week of wandering around the cold, empty rental, hearing strange sounds in the attic, the wind blowing tree limbs against the upstairs windows, strange thumping noises coming from the cellar, you might just arm yourself with an ax, muttering to yourself. (Don’t re-watch “The Shining.”)
• The bars and restaurants that stay open won’t be crowded at all. For restaurants this is an advantage, of course, but an empty student bar? No thanks.
• Hardly anyone to hang out with. Depending on what sort of person you are, this might be either a good thing or a bad thing.
• Most OU facilities close down for break. Want to work out at the Ping Center, wander the stacks at Alden? No dice, pal. If you want to ice skate, though, you’re in luck. Bird Arena stays open throughout break, other than the actual holidays. The Aquatic Center also stays open for most of break, though check the hours for specifics.
• If you’re by yourself in your off-campus Athens rental during OU’s Winter Break, you’ll likely be on the hook for 100 percent of the utility bills for that five weeks.
• Similarly, you’ll need to purchase and prepare all of the food you eat during Winter Break if you stay in Athens. No free food, none of mom’s incredible home cooking. No sneaking dad’s boutique bourbon. If you do decide to stay in your OU rental, at least commit to going home for Christmas dinner.
Decide for Yourself if You’d Like to Stay
Your decision on staying in your Athens rental during Winter Break likely will depend on how strongly you feel about the various pros and cons listed above. However, what sort of situation you’ll encounter at mom and dad’s house also is an important factor. If you have to share a bedroom with your 16-year-old brother Spike, who’s getting a new drum kit for Christmas, maybe staying in Athens is the best course.