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DOUGLAS ROCHE III | OPINION COLUMNIST | droche@butler.edu
With break officially underway, students will have an opportunity to head home to family and friends, sleep in their own beds and take their minds off school for a bit.
Butler students come from all over the country, and some even come from all over the world. With that in mind, there is a group that might stay on campus for at least part of or even the entirety of break.
Living in the Indy area, there are several ways you can spend your time off from classes or any priorities that one’s college experience may entail. With that said, here are four things students who are sticking around the Indy area can do with their week off.
Get into the season
This idea drives some people crazy, while others are more OK with the fact that we begin celebrating December holidays before Thanksgiving has even happened.
A great way to kick off the holiday season would be seeing Winterlights. From Nov. 19 to Jan. 7, guests can stroll through gardens covered in millions of lights that offers a welcoming, optimistic and calming ambience. Tickets are $20 for adults online and $25 on site and takes about 90 minutes to fully experience. However, by getting a free membership to the Indianapolis Museum of Art, Butler students only have to pay $15 on site and $20 online.
Downtown Indianapolis will also be the sight of one of the brightest nights of the year on Nov. 24 with the 55th annual Circle Of Lights tree lighting. Thousands of spectators will gather around monument circle to see the Soldiers & Sailors Monument get covered in more than 4,700 lights, as well as enjoy entertainment from various performers. The official start time for the event is 6:00 p.m. and will conclude with a fireworks display at 8:00 p.m. Santa Claus will be at the Carson’s Department Store for selfie opportunities between 8:00 p.m. and 10:00 p.m.
Burn some calories before the big feast
How great would it be to not have the slightest guilt for all of the calories that will inevitably be consumed on Thursday?
Wheeler Mission Ministries offers the perfect opportunity to do so while also giving back to the less fortunate with the 15th annual Drumstick Dash. Participants are given the opportunity to raise money that goes to the homeless, while also getting their bodies into a calorie-burning mode before it is time to eat.
Registration for the event ends on Nov. 20th and the race begins at 9:00 a.m. in Broad Ripple on Nov. 23.
Go waste some money
While I was looking around an Ikea last week, I came to the horrific realization that I was in a giant dollhouse of American consumerism. And I, along with the waves of other shoppers, were the dolls being played with by businesspeople. While I acknowledge this sick truth, you will still probably find me in the Tommy Hilfiger section of Macy’s at 6:00 a.m. on Nov. 24.
While excessive, Black Friday is not only a golden opportunity to save 30 percent on the new winter coat you want, but is also a grand spectacle for people watching. Stores like the Macy’s and Target on Keystone Avenue, Best Buy on Lafayette Road, and Kohl’s on Crawfordsville Road are all within 20 minutes of Butler and are known for great deals on various products throughout the day — as well as attracting hundreds of people to judge while they do the same to you.
Reflect and relax. You are almost done.
In hindsight, it does not matter what you choose to do with your time off as long as you remember to relax, take a breath and enjoy not having to worry about school for a few days.
Celebrate what you have done thus far to make your year how it is, think about how to make your year better, and then get ready to tackle your finals so you can head home for the holidays on a high note.
