{"id":15881,"date":"2019-12-05T13:38:49","date_gmt":"2019-12-05T13:38:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.cityblock.co.uk\/blog\/?p=15881"},"modified":"2025-09-04T12:07:09","modified_gmt":"2025-09-04T11:07:09","slug":"get-organised-for-christmas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cityblock.co.uk\/blog\/get-organised-for-christmas\/","title":{"rendered":"Get Organised for Christmas"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Students, it\u2019s almost time for Christmas! We hope you\u2019ve enjoyed your first term at University, and if this is your first year, we hope you <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cityblock.co.uk\/blog\/how-to-get-settled-in-at-university\/\">managed to settle in<\/a> and are already looking forward to coming back in a few weeks.<\/p>\n<p><!--more--><\/p>\n<p>Before you head home for a much-needed holiday, there are a few things you\u2019ll need to remember. While you\u2019re no doubt looking forward to seeing your family and the friends from your hometown, don\u2019t forget to keep Uni in the back of your mind. You\u2019ll probably have essays and exams to study for alongside all your fun-filled Christmas activities.<\/p>\n<p>So you can make the most out of the Christmas holidays, here\u2019s how you can make sure you stay organised this Christmas season.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-15883\" src=\"https:\/\/www.cityblock.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Christmas-Jumper-Calton.gif\" alt=\"Christmas Jumper Calton\" width=\"500\" height=\"280\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">\n<h2><strong>Packing for Home<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>First things first, you\u2019ll need to pack for the trip. This will be trickier if you live far away from your Uni and have to get public transport, or if you\u2019re an international student needing to fly home. Regardless, make sure you pack all your essentials, so you\u2019re not left without over Christmas \u2013 but you probably need to pack less than you think.<\/p>\n<p>Here\u2019s what you should take home with you:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Clothes (unless you have an entirely separate wardrobe waiting at home \u2013 lucky!)<\/li>\n<li>Toiletries<\/li>\n<li>Hairbrush\/hairdryer<\/li>\n<li>Laptop<\/li>\n<li>Chargers<\/li>\n<li>Toothbrush<\/li>\n<li>Notebook \u2013 stuffed full of lecture notes, no doubt<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>And that\u2019s pretty much it! Everything else is just extra that you can probably do without if you need to. Things like crockery and bedding can stay in your accommodation until your return.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-15884\" src=\"https:\/\/www.cityblock.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Mr-and-Mrs-Potato-Head.gif\" alt=\"Mr and Mrs Potato Head\" width=\"500\" height=\"250\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/giphy.com\/gifs\/packing-toystory-mrpotatohead-bJs4bixWGVnwc\">via GIPHY<\/a><\/p>\n<h2><strong>Presents for Family and Friends <\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>For most of us, Christmas means rushing around trying to buy the perfect gift for our loved ones. If you\u2019re struggling funds-wise, check out our blog post about <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cityblock.co.uk\/blog\/buying-christmas-presents-on-student-budget\/\">how to buy Christmas gifts of a student budget<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>If you\u2019ve left this a little late and are starting to struggle, here are some tips for how to get your gift buying in order:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Make a list of everyone who you need to buy a gift for<\/li>\n<li>Attempt to write down a potential gift idea for each person<\/li>\n<li>Head to the shops (or look online) for the gifts you\u2019ve managed to think of<\/li>\n<li>Trawl people\u2019s social media for ideas for things to buy them<\/li>\n<li>Ask friends\/family for gift ideas for people \u2013 or ask the internet<\/li>\n<li>Update your list as you go along, make a note of everything you\u2019ve bought<\/li>\n<li>If possible, have online orders sent to your home, so you don\u2019t have to transport them<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Buying presents at Christmas can be stressful for students but remember that your friends and family will understand if you\u2019re not able to splash out on them as you\u2019d like. Even if all you can offer them is your presence at Christmas time, we\u2019re sure that will be more than enough.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-15885 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.cityblock.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/The-Office.gif\" alt=\"The Office\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/giphy.com\/gifs\/christmas-the-office-michael-scott-wranrCRq3f90A\">via GIPHY<\/a><\/p>\n<h2><strong>Keep Up with Your Studies <\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Christmas is a time for fun and catching up with family and friends, but don\u2019t neglect your University work, you\u2019ll be back sooner than you think.<\/p>\n<p>Check your schedule and make a calendar for when your essays need to be completed by. Even if the deadlines are after the holidays, try not to leave everything until you\u2019ve got back, it\u2019ll put you under a lot of pressure, and you may not be able to do your best work.<\/p>\n<p>Set some time aside in the holidays to hit the books, even if it\u2019s just a couple of hours a week. Write that essay intro or gather your relevant sources. Just make sure you do a little work between stuffing your face with chocolate and going out and being merry; you\u2019ll feel much better about coming back to University once the holidays are over.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-15886\" src=\"https:\/\/www.cityblock.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Studying-Hard.gif\" alt=\"Studying Hard\" width=\"500\" height=\"269\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a style=\"color: #000000;\" href=\"https:\/\/giphy.com\/gifs\/life-school-college-fhAwk4DnqNgw8\">via GIPHY<\/a><\/p>\n<h2><strong>Make Plans<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>The holidays can go by in a flash, and you don\u2019t want to be left wondering what you even did this Christmas when you head back to Uni, and everyone asks you how it was. Try to pencil in some official plans on those glorious days off.<\/p>\n<p>Whether it\u2019s seeing old friends for a film or a drink, going ice skating with your family or just studying a few chapters of one of your modules, you\u2019ll feel much better if you have some structured, planned in activities for the holidays.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-15888\" src=\"https:\/\/www.cityblock.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Saturday-Night-Live-Christmas.gif\" alt=\"Saturday Night Live Christmas\" width=\"500\" height=\"286\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/giphy.com\/gifs\/8wz2omZEbVzSU\">via GIPHY<\/a><\/p>\n<h2><strong>Make Time for Relaxation<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Christmas is often jam-packed with exciting things to do day and night, but don\u2019t forget to make time for you to kick back and relax. You just had many weeks of studying hard and doing lots of work (we assume), so you deserve some time off to relax and unwind, ready to come back fresh for second term.<\/p>\n<p>Run a bath, watch some Netflix, read a book or just have a lie-down. However you relax, the Christmas holidays is the time to do it. The academic year is likely to get more stressful as it goes on, with more essays and exams looming, so take advantage of this time while you have it.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-15887\" src=\"https:\/\/www.cityblock.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Relaxed-Corgi.gif\" alt=\"Relaxed Corgi\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/giphy.com\/gifs\/7Y66VN3rtkPtu\">via GIPHY<\/a><\/p>\n<p>From all of us here at CityBlock, we hope you have a fantastic Christmas, and if you board with us, we can\u2019t wait to welcome you back in 2020. And if you\u2019re looking for student accommodation for next year, we have <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cityblock.co.uk\/student-accommodation-lancaster\">student accommodation in Lancaster<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Students, it\u2019s almost time for Christmas! We hope you\u2019ve enjoyed your first term at University, and if this &hellip; <\/p>\n<p class=\"link-more\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cityblock.co.uk\/blog\/get-organised-for-christmas\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &#8220;Get Organised for Christmas&#8221;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":15891,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[20,21],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cityblock.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15881"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cityblock.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cityblock.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cityblock.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cityblock.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15881"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/www.cityblock.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15881\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":17604,"href":"https:\/\/www.cityblock.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15881\/revisions\/17604"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cityblock.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/15891"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cityblock.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15881"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cityblock.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15881"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cityblock.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15881"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}