Throughout the year, students only have a few longer breaks that allow them to take some time off from school and relax away from all the stress associated with school. Christmas break, the second-longest break behind summer, is a beacon of hope for the students who fought through the majority of a demanding first semester. This two-week break may be the bright spot, but the weeks leading up to the break are the worst couple of weeks in the first half of the year. The teachers pour on the homework at the start of December and do not let up until the break finally hits. During this time, every type of assignment imaginable is given. From presentations, to tests and quizzes to speeches, essays, and labs, each assignment is harder than the next. The weeks leading up to Christmas break are harder than every other week but exam week. The last day of school before the break concludes with Christmas at Oratory which allows students to enjoy their last half-day of school in an environment free of stress with no work. Although the school work is challenging, the break afterward makes the work worth it, and this break gives the students enough hope to make it through December.