Check your calendar. Realize that winter break is a mere few weeks away. Realize that finals are one week away. Endure a brief nervous breakdown. Then take a deep breath, regain your senses and check out what the District is up to before you seclude yourself in a barrage of textbooks for the next two weeks.

– Because it’s free and beautiful and one of those invariable “I love living in D.C.” moments, head to the U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony on Tuesday, Dec. 4. The free event is open to the public and starts at 5 p.m.

– In honor of D.C.’s swankiest event of the year, the Kennedy Center Honors, the “Washington Post” profiled each inductee, from rock heavyweights Led Zeppelin to esteemed ballerina Natalia Makarova, in intimate and compelling features well-worth reading.

And while you’re struggling to maintain sanity during finals in our beloved Gelman Library, take a moment to close your eyes and visualize yourself in one of these study-conducive hubs of knowledge.