Four ways to spend your weekend

Congratulations on making it through the semester of classes. Only final exam periods remain, leaving students to wonder where the semester has gone. As time on campus comes to an end, this is the last weekend in Mount Pleasant for many students. Although the weekend may be packed with studying, the weekend provides a few ways to de-stress or get in the holiday mood.

Here are four things to do this weekend when it’s time for a healthy study break:

1.) If you’re in need of some comic relief, “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever” will be performed Friday through Sunday at the Broadway Theatre on 216 E. Broadway. The play, taken from the popular young-adult book written by Barbara Robinson, tells the story of a couple trying to put together a church Christmas pageant. They are forced to have the naughtiest children participate in the play. The comedy will feature children and adults from the Mount Pleasant area.

2.) Candy Cane Bingo, reindeer games, a candy cane hunt – if that doesn’t lure you in, I don’t know what will. Candy Cane Lane will take place at the Veterans Memorial Library, 301 S. University Ave. on Saturday, with holiday games and crafts to begin the season with vigor. The event will take place from 9:30-11:30 a.m.

3.) The Dickens Christmas Festival will be celebrating its 20th anniversary Saturday with activities for young and old alike. Visit Santa’s House or take a ride though downtown on a  horse-drawn carriage. Bring an appetite so you can visit local restaurants or wander to the roasted almond or kettle-corn stands. Don’t forget to stop and see the live nativity and watch the ninth annual Lighted Christmas Parade that begins at 6 p.m.

4.) It’s time to buckle down and study for the exams you have been dreading. CMU Study Fest, co-hosted by University Recreation and Multicultural Academic Student Services, will have study rooms ready for students that need a silent space, as well as activities when a break is needed. CMU Study Fest starts at 8 p.m. Sunday in the University Center and will include free yoga and fitness classes, massages an a musical performance by Mitch Reetze. There will also be a free showing of “21 and Over” at 9 p.m. and a midnight pancake breakfast.