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Is a gap year worth it?

Student loans have turned me into a Grinch this Christmas.

Even though Christmas is on Saturday, I honestly couldn’t care less this year. With everyone around me so happy and festive, I feel like the odd-woman-out. However, I think I have a decent excuse. Instead of “Jingle Bell Rock” in my head and busy days spent shopping at the mall, I’m singing the Student Loan Blues while staring at my empty bank account.

Ugh. Student loans.

If you graduated last spring and have student loans, you probably feel the same way I do right now considering our loan repayment grace period is over: in over your head! Although I knew this reality was coming, I guess I never thought it would hit me this hard and scare me this much. And I’ll be the first to say, I’m scared that these loans I had to take out to go to college will ruin the rest of my life.

Maybe I’m exaggerating a bit much, but right now, they certainly feel like they are taking hold of my entire life. In order to make payments so I’m in good standing with the lenders, I had to dish out the cash this month to get my payment record off to a good start. And boy, has it hurt. Christmas presents? Yeah … no one I know will be getting one from me. Not even the homemade variety. Will I be getting to see my boyfriend anytime soon? Nope, I don’t have the cash to pay for a plane ticket (ugh, another lovely benefit of being in a long-distance relationship). I can’t help but wonder “Will I ever have money again?”

Now, I probably sound like a Debbie downer, but it’s easy to feel downtrodden and stressed when it seems like you have a whole life ahead of you … centered around owing someone a ton of money. However, I do keep telling myself that one day my college degree will pay off … so maybe it wasn’t a terrible thing after all? Maybe?

This is where I keep my fingers crossed.

See, I couldn’t have gone to college without student loans. It wouldn’t have been possible for me – regardless of what school I attended or what I studied. And while I went to college to try and better myself, I feel like these loans are setting me back. How can I get ahead with this constantly looming over my head? And how am I supposed to embrace law school – with even MORE loans – when I have yet to pay off these ones?

Everyone has their own stance on student loans. Some people want pity and make websites where people can donate money to them. Some people work three jobs. Others default and don’t care about the consequences. Some live with their parents until they are 35. While I went to college not to become a statistic, I can’t help but worry about what the future may hold in the adult world of credit scores, repayments, and financial responsibility. Will I be living here with my dad forever? Will I be one of those people who has debt collectors knocking down her door?

But none of that really matters because what’s done is done. I took out the loans and now, unfortunately, I have to pay them back. Every month. For a long while. It sure sucks, but I’m sure I’ll figure it out like every post-grad with loans before me and the many more that are in the same boat as me now.

At least, that’s what I’m telling myself as the statements begin to pour in….

So Santa, if you’re reading, you could cut me a check for Christmas and pay all the loans back. You know, if you feel generous. I promise I’ve been a very good girl this year. This could make up for all those years I wanted a puppy and never got one. Think of it as a Christmas miracle!

It’s the most wonderful time of the year— except for the fact that you’re at the top of Santa’s Naughty List.  Coal definitely isn’t something you put on your wish list this year but we both know you’ll be getting a lot of it.  Luckily it’s not too late to trick Santa into thinking you walk around with a halo on top of your head.  Here are some ways to redeem yourself.

Stay clear of your exes. You’ll be home for the holidays and so will all of the sexy beasts you left heartbroken back in high school.  Sure, you may be a little lonely stuck at home drinking eggnog and watching “Elf” every night with your cat (I know I will be), but that’s no excuse to be a Christmas break booty call.

Don’t be a Grinch. Christmas shopping for family and friends is always fun. Dad gets a nice Hawaiian shirt, Mom gets a cheese grater, your besties get posters of a shirtless Zac Efron, and you get new jeans, a purse, sunglasses…wait, what?!  Don’t be a gift slut.  I know it’s hard to shop solely for other people with all of the good deals out there, but try to limit the things you buy for yourself.  Plus, if you get everything you want before Christmas, what’s everyone else going to get you?  A freakin’ Shake Weight?

Don’t be “that girl” at the party. There’s bound to be plenty of holiday parties over break full of ugly sweaters, mistletoe, and lots of Christmas cheer.  Since you’ll probably be bumping into old classmates you haven’t seen in awhile and douchey boys that may have turned you down back in the day, you’re obviously going to want to impress them. Show them what they missed out on. And you will!  Drink a reasonable amount, flirt a little, have fun.  Just please don’t be the girl that ends up totally sloshed, facedown in a plate of fruitcake.

Leave extra cookies and milk. With how naughty you’ve been, it’s probably a good idea to fill Santa’s belly a little bit more this year.  Yes, I’m saying you need to suck up. Big time.

I can’t make any promises, but if you follow these guidelines, Santa will be sure to drop a couple “ho’s” off the end of your title this year.

Whether you’re buying yourself a post-exam present or looking to put something on your list for Santa (with exact color, size and style….you don’t want him to get it wrong, do you?) boots should be high on your list. Temperatures are dropping, the snow is starting to fall and your toes are starting to get cold. Really, boots are a present for your feet, and after a semester of torturing them in communal showers and dancing the night away in high heels, it’s really the least you can do.

If you don’t already have a pair of boots – or yours are long overdue for a replacement – you should look at investing in a pair this season. And yes, I said investing. These babies aren’t always cheap, but can you really put a price on having 10 fully functional toes? Well, as functional as toes really are….

There are boots for all purposes and whether you’re trekking through snow to get to class, looking for something a little warmer than flats for a night out, or some combination of the two, there’s a pair out there for you. They’re great to slip on with a pair of jeans for class (duh), they’re great with a pair of leg warmers for a little extra toastiness on a busy day, and they look HOT with everything from the skinniest jeans to the miniest of skirts (yes, even rain boots!).

Here are 15 pairs I’m totally digging right now to get you started on your shopping.

You may have to drop some elbows, but there's still time for some really good last minute gifts.

So it’s Christmas Eve, you just got home from school, and sometime between the TV marathons and the Facebook-stalking your BFFs on their tropical vacations, you realized you hadn’t done much Christmas shopping. And now it’s Christmas Eve and you still haven’t gotten those important people their gifts yet.

Uh oh.

Well, not to worry; It’s On has done your shopping  for you. I’ll tell you where you can still go today to get all of the holiday essentials. And don’t worry -I’m not sending you to CVS to pick up a box of chocolates and whatever other weird stuff they’re trying to sell by the checkout counter. There are some really legit stores staying open today for the lazy people of the world those busy last-minute shopppers.

Stick with me (and get ready to battle for some parking spots) and in the next few hours you’ll be home wrapping those special gifts for those special people.

In an effort to make things easier on everyone I’ve tried to identify 5 basic gifts – perfume, sweaters, hat/gloves/scarf set, bags, and entertainment – that people usually covet this time of year. And instead of my normal head to head match-ups, I’ve given you two stores per item that WILL BE OPEN today.

Oh and don’t forget to check out CouponCabin.com before you go; you may even still be able to snag some good deals today!

I know, I just saved your life.

Entertainment:
This includes iPods, iPhone/iPod Accessories, CDs, Blu-Rays and other things that you can find for the movie/TV/music lover. If all else fails – and you find yourself staring at a wall of DVDs and have no clue which they’d want – a 3-month membership to Netflix is never a bad idea. And you don’t even need to leave the house to get it.

Best Buy
(Not always the cheapest store, but they do have plenty of good coupons on everything from digital cameras to DVDs right now!)
9:00am-10:00pm

Game Stop
(You can grab a bunch of used games for cheap, new games, and some awesome gaming accessories. Like a new guitar for Guitar Hero. You know, so maybe your bro will let you play sometimes.)
10:00am-8:00pm

Perfume:
People LOVE perfume. And the best thing about buying perfume this time of year is that they all come in some pretty sweet gift sets. You can break these up into lots of smaller gifts for people you don’t want to spend a lot on (!!), or give the whole shebang to those super important people in your life. If you want a good deal (without having to buy some nasty grandma scent from 6 years ago), Macy’s and Kohl’s are your best bet.

Macy’s
7:00am-6:00pm

Kohls
6:00am-6:00pm

Bags
Most of the good stuff was picked over weeks ago, so you may not have much luck finding something cute with only a few hours until Santa hits the friendly skies. (The good news is, what’s left tends to be marked down a lot!) But if you wanna try, I recommend hitting up Target and Macy’s. If nothing else, at least you’ll have a large selection of other stuff to look through if they don’t have what you came for.

Target
7:00am-7:00pm

Macy’s
7:00am-6:00pm

Hat/Gloves/Scarf Set
This is essential, cheap and comes in a bunch of varieties to fit every style.

Target
7:00am-7:00pm

Macy’s
7:00am-6:00pm

Sweaters
The ULTIMATE multipurpose gift, sweaters can be found virtually everywhere, but, again, if you need quick, decently priced and before Christmas, there are two stores that will definitely have the best stock.

H&M
They have special hours in certain locations. I’d advise you calling your H&M of choice to find out specific hours.

American Eagle Outfitters
Again, call your store of choice to find when they close

The only other advice I can give you is to get moving early this morning. And wear comfortable shoes. Oh, and wear your seat belt. There is nothing more dangerous than a mall parking lot the day before Christmas. Nothing.

Until next year, Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and Happy New Year!

There are over 100 million sites on the Internet. 100 million! You might think you know about all the important ones (CollegeCandy, Gmail, Google, Zappos, Kaboodle…), but there are thousands of other sweet sites out there. And more showing up every day! We get it – it’s not easy or fun sifting through the crap and porn to find those gems, so we’re gonna bring the gems to you. Just sit back, kick up those feet and allow us to introduce you to the diamonds in the internet rough.

Santa photos are a holiday tradition in many families, including mine.  And I don’t know about anyone else, but I can’t remember ever liking the process of getting my picture taken with that weird old guy.  Most of my memories of those experiences fall into one of two categories: when I was younger, fear, because I thought it was the real Santa and I was afraid he knew all the bad things I’d done; and when I was a little older, complete paranoia that someone I know might be walking though the mall and see me standing in line. And every Christmas, I’m forced to re-live those memories when my mom unpacks her collection of framed Santa portraits from her boxes of Christmas decorations and displays them proudly on the wall of our living room.

I bet she wouldn’t be so nostalgic if she remembered she practically forced my sister and I into those matching outfits and dragged us to the minivan to go take those terrible pictures.  In fact, it wasn’t until my sister and I were old enough to fight back and actually run away from the van that the Santa pictures ended.

So when somebody told me about the website SketchySantas.com, a blog showcasing terrible Santa portraits, specifically those with creepy-looking Santas, I wasn’t sure what to think about it. The mere thought of the Santa photo brought back painful memories of corduroy, giant bows and waiting for an hour to sit on some man’s lap. But then I looked. And I laughed so hard I cried.  Maybe it has something to do with the fact that I was living someone else’s painful memories instead of my own, but I couldn’t stop. And then I couldn’t breathe.

I mean, really, how does this not make you pee your pants a little?

To top it all off, the site also sells “Sketchy Greetings” holiday cards that I’m seriously considering buying for next year.

If you’re burnt out from all that studying for finals and holiday stress, Sketchy Santas is definitely the perfect dose of humor you need to soothe your over-worked and over-shopped brain. I imagine it will also come in handy after you’ve opened your gifts on Friday and there is nothing else to do. All day. And your annoying cousins are running around the house pulling people’s hair.

Enjoy!

Despite the end of the year being one of the busiest times, it is important to think about giving to others and taking time to make a help those in need. Here is a list of easy and simple ways to get involved in making a difference this season:

Adopt an Angel, Be a Santa
Consider adopting a needy person for the holiday season. Giving Trees are everywhere right now (from your local Wal-Mart to your mall’s JCPenney, and many colleges have them up in their common areas) allowing you to choose the name of a person in need and help them out. You don’t even need a lot of money to do it! Every name comes with a list of wants; you can purchase just one thing off of that list (usually something simple like shampoo or groceries), or gather a bunch of friends to go all out. Your $10 purchase will really make someone’s Christmas.

Ring The Bell
You know those red kettles outside of grocery stores and on nearly every street corner in big cities, often accompanied by a Santa ringing a hand-bell? They are sponsored by the Salvation Army and have been around since 1891, providing homeless and needy with nice sit-down meals for Thanksgiving and Christmas. When walking out of the mall this holiday season, drop some of your spare change into those kettles, because any amount of change will be put to towards hot holiday meals for those in need.

Give an Unwrapped Toy
Toys for Tots simply asks for a donation of an unwrapped toy. This program, sponsored by the United States Marines, has been around since 1947, and all it calls for is you to drop off an unwrapped gift at any of its toy collecting sights. Need to find a donation spot? Click here!

Get Bakin’
Are you good at making gingerbread houses or baking cookies? Put your domestic skills to good use and make a local nursing home a batch of your favorite cookies or drop off a gingerbread house. Since the holiday season is often considered to be a time for presents, children are often the main focus – but it is important to not leave anyone out. Many elderly living in nursing homes are left by their families during the holiday season, and dropping off something to brighten their day would mean a lot. Contact your local area nursing homes and assisted living centers to see how you can help.

Drive Yourself Crazy
Your college is probably having some kind of drive.  In fact, if your college is like mine, you probably have two or three drives going on at once, so pick one drive that you most want to participate in and go all out. Get together with your friends for a stitch n’ bitch and knit the night away – someone out there could really use a homemade scarf. Not into knitting? Go collect cans with your best friends. Pick a neighborhood and politely go from door to door asking if there are any spare cans the family would like to donate this holiday season. Many people will be glad you stopped by, because through your good deed, they will feel like they did something good themselves! Don’t have time to participate? Donate an hour of your time to help sort all the collected items from whatever drive you want. The club or organization will greatly appreciate the help, too.

Eat-Out
As the holidays approach and the semester comes to a close, how many end-of-the-semester Christmas get-togethers are you going to have? You’re going to need a reservation for that big group of friends, and booking through Open Table is the best way to do that.  Open Table has pledged a full meal to domestic hunger-relief organizations (such as America’s Second Harvest) for every dining reservation made through the website. With nearly 49.1 million Americans living in food insecure households (meaning the availability of food and access to it) in 2008, just your reservation alone can provide someone a meal. To make reservations with Open Table, click here!

Give the Gift of Activism
Not sure what to get a friend, but know they are passionate about something? Consider making a donation in their name. For example, my sister is studying abroad in South Africa for the next year and she is particularly moved by the townships outside of Capetown, so I am making a donation in her name to an organization that provides South African township children with the opportunity to go to college (These Numbers Have Faces). Is your friend really heated over the Health Care reform and Stupack amendment issue? Maybe you can donate some money to Planned Parenthood to keep fighting the good fight. Wish you had time throughout the year to work in an animal shelter but don’t? Send $20 into the ASPCA!

Want more information or other ways to get involved, check out these websites:
Feeding America
The Salvation Army
Goodwill
Toys for Tots
List of Nonprofit Organizations
Volunteer Match

Stained Glass cookies are super adorable and totally versatile: you can hang these on a wreath, on your tree, by the window…or just eat them. That last option is definitely #1 for me. I’m not wasting perfectly good baked goods on a tree or, worse, a fat man with a beard.

They may seem difficult to make, but they’re super easy. And a fun activity on a cold Saturday with the roomies. Oh, and did I mention they’re only 90 calories each? YES. Because there should never be a positive correlation between holiday season and your waistline.

Materials:
* 3 cups all-purpose flour
* 1 teaspoon baking powder
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 1 cup sugar
* 1/2 cup margarine, or 1 stick of butter, softened
* 1/2 cup shortening
* 2 large eggs
* 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
* 1 package (10 to 12 ounces) of hard candy, such as jolly ranchers
* Festive-colored ribbon
* Plastic wrap
* Hand mixer
* Ziploc bags
* Cookie cutters, regular and mini-sized
* Nonstick baking pan
* Drinking straw
* Rolling pin

Steps:
(Note: If you really don’t wanna spend so much time and energy making the dough, you could get a pre-maid sugar cookie roll, eat a little raw [we won't judge], then skip on down to step #6.)

1. Mix together flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. In another bowl, beat the sugar, margarine/butter, and shortening until creamy. Add the eggs and vanilla and beat until blended.
2. Slowly pour the flour mixture in while beating, stopping just before fully blended.
3. Divide the dough into 4 equal pieces. Wrap each piece in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
4. While dough is chilling, separate the hard candies by color into each Ziploc bag. Use a rolling pin (or a hammer) to gently crush the candy into small pieces.
5. Preheat the over to 350 degrees.
6. Take the dough out and place on a well-floured surface. Roll each piece of dough until 1/8 inch thick.
7. Use regular-sized cookie cutters and cut the dough into 3-4 inch shapes. Now take the mini-sized cookie cutters (or a knife) and make another shape in the middle of each cookie. Place the cookies on the cookie sheet.(Note: the cookie sheet MUST BE nonstick so the candy doesn’t get stuck!)
8. Take some crushed candy and sprinkle it in the hole in the middle of the cookie.
9. If you plan on using these as decorations, use the straw and poke a hole into the top of each cookie. If you just plan on eating them, don’t worry about it.
10. Bake for 10-12 minutes until golden brown.
11. Let the cookies cool and frost those bad-boys (props if you can make cute designs)

If you wanna hang ‘em, loop some ribbon through the hole. If you wanna eat ‘em, let the frosting harden before shoving them down your throat.

[Recipe inspired by Fancy Flours Bakery.]