Crowded malls decorated in yuletide cheer and twinkling lights adorn houses as the weather chills. These are the signs that the holiday season has arrived.

As the semester draws to a close, students look forward to a break from exams and school. The holiday season is here and with it comes the never ending loop of Christmas songs that play repeatedly on the radio, TV and in the stores.

Students seeking a break from school look forward to making travel plans in order to spend time with friends and family during this time.

“I am always visiting family,” Nicholas Castro, 22, digital arts major, said. “This Christmas I will be spending Christmas in Mexico with my grandmother.”

Traveling and spending time with family is the biggest part of the holidays. It’s the hustle and bustle of getting on a plane, train or car in order to be with loved ones.

“On winter (break) on my Filipino side I think we are going to have a little orchestra type band thing,” Cherish Smith, 18, music major, said. “Maybe after we’ll just walk around the neighborhood and watch people caroling.”

Here at EC many students not only travel locally but also internationally to reconnect with love ones that they have not are seen in a long time.

“For winter break I’m leaving the country,” Guillermo Orellana, 18, biology major, said. “I’m going to El Salvador.”

For students not traveling far, local attractions offer fun and excitement.

“For winter break I’m planning to go to Riverside and Hemet and hang out with some friends from high school,” Bolivar Hernandez, 21, graphic design major, said.

The holidays are a special time where families come together to celebrate each other and reminisce on past memories and plans for the future.

“Thanksgiving and Christmas are the only times we can take a breath and be with our family and the only way we can appreciate them is if we can spend time with them,” Castro said.