Tis the Season

Disclaimer: I'm sorry for the delay in writing this post, or any post for that matter! It's been a crazy busy week between the final assignments I'm trying to procrastinate and put off completing and the huge influx of work in the admissions office - THANK YOU to those of you who submitted your apps and for those who haven't, winter break is a great time to finish them up!

This post has taken me FOUR days now to get through, and although I'm really excited to share it with you, it's had to take a backseat to the rest of the work, but here it is!!!

Here we are in the last 2 weeks of the semester at Penn, and finals are in full swing! It's so hard to keep motivated through all of the late-night paper-writing, cram-studying for exams, and still attending classes! Unlike undergrad, grad students have class all the way up until the very last day of the semester (only eleven ten nine EIGHT more days!!). There's no "finals week" or "reading days" where we get a break from class to focus on our final assignments. We are warriors who push through to the very end! But this structure has left many GSE students feeling overwhelmed, stressed-out, and at times hopeless here at the end of the semester. All-nighters, endless hours in the library, computer lab, or study spaces, and lots and lots of coffee have become the norm for many of us! Winter break and some time to mentally recharge is so close but still so far away!

I know it's kind of a dated joke, but still funny and relevant!!

This weekend I had so much work to do (2 final papers and a presentation are only one more paper is standing in my way) but it was nearly impossible to focus with our FIRST SNOWFALL OF THE YEAR happening right outside my window!! The gorgeous flakes falling down outside while I was in my cozy apartment was a HUGE distraction, and eventually I gave in to the temptation and took a mental break to watch football all day on Sunday. The games in Philadelphia and Baltimore were absolutely insane because it was snowing so hard! I'm a huge football fan, but this weekend was more of a comedy show than a competitive game - they were even using shovels and snowblowers to clean off parts of the field between plays!

This is what Sunday's games looked like in the Northeast!

Since it's now "officially" the holiday season (Thanksgiving is over, it's December, and we've had not one but TWO snowfalls in Philly!) I figured I would share some links to my favorite holiday attractions and events in the Philadelphia area.


Ice Skating
There's several places to go ice skating during the winter in Philly and every once in a while a new one pops up! My favorite by far is the River Rink at Penn's Landing. It's outdoors so you can skate around on a cold but sunny day and look out over the river; it's a lot of fun and a great winter weekend activity! They even host special events like themed evening skates and a New Year's Eve party! This year there's a new rink in town (also outdoors!) at the Piazza in Northern Liberties. I haven't been there yet, but I'm hoping to check it out over break! Finally, there's the Penn Ice Rink at the Class of 1923 Arena RIGHT ON CAMPUS! And the best part is, it's an indoor arena (used for Penn Ice Hockey, etc.) so it's open ALL YEAR ROUND! Public skate happens several times a week so check it out once you're on campus!

Christmas Village
Every year, a little "town" pops up outside City Hall with tiny wooded houses filled with local vendors selling everything from homemade treats, knit hats, scarves, gloves. etc., fun toys, delicious food and drinks, ornaments, decorations, and lots more! It's a great place to visit and maybe buy some holiday gifts while enjoying the Christmas spirit with your neighbors in the City of Brotherly Love. In the past, the village has been located right in front of City Hall, but due to construction on the new plaza, it has been relocated to Love Park - how appropriate!

Holiday Shows
I love shows and performances! My favorite in Philadelphia is the Christmas Light Show that takes place in the Macy's in Center City (it was formerly Wanamaker's and it's a gorgeous old building with the world's largest operating pipe organ inside!) The show started in 1956 and has changed very little since then! During the holiday season, at the top of every other hour (10am, 12pm, 2m, 4pm, 6pm, and 8pm), the whole store stops and turns its attention to the spectacle of lights as Julie Andrews narrates a ten-minute condensed rendition of the Nutcracker, complete with some of our favorite characters (Frosty the Snowman and Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer!). The whole show ends with a performance of "Oh, Christmas Tree" on the historic organ. It's one of my favorite Philly Christmas traditions!

The Comcast Building also puts on a great Holiday Spectacular every year, but it's very different from the vintage feel of the Macy's show. The Comcast show is very high tech, involving dynamic video of real people on their giant LED video wall!

I have to admit, as someone who has been taking dance classes since age 3, I absolutely adore the story and ballet performance of The Nutcracker! If you're a fan of the ballet like I am, or if you're just looking for a fun cultural activity, definitely check out the Pennsylvania Ballet's show running through December 29th!

As an added holiday bonus, the Philadelphia Parking Authority is giving the city FREE PARKING in Center City on Saturdays after 11:00 AM through December 28th! YAY!

So there's a little snapshot of some things I like to do on the weekends in December in Philly! Feel free to share any other things you do for the holidays - I'd love to hear them! I'll still be posting over winter break (hopefully I'll have time to post more frequently!) so stay tuned for more of my reflections from the semester, fun things to do if you're spending New Year's Eve in Philadelphia, and my goals and plans for next semester!

Happy Holidays!!!