By CRAIG LEACH

Staff Writer

Eat, drink and be merry.

For many students and recent graduates, this was the credo to live by this past Christmas and New Year's holidays.

"The holidays used to be about making a list for Santa, getting presents, playing and making gingerbread," says Andrew Leonard, 25, a third-year Environmental Sciences student at Lakehead University in Thunder Bay. "It was all very kid-centric."

Leonard says that as he grows older, the focus of the holidays has changed from material things to a greater appreciation for friends, family and good times during the holidays.

"I may only get home a few times a year," says Leonard, who hails from Hamilton, a 17-hour drive from his student residence. "So when I do, I really value the time."

This sentiment is shared by Mark Todorov, 26, a prison guard from Thorold, and his wife, Barbara.

"This was our first Christmas married, and we kept things really small and modest with gifts, but big on friends, family and food," says Barbara.

"We tried to see people we haven't in a while and invited a lot of people over to our new house for dinner and drinks," echoes Mark.

The culinary marathon is what Alex Lawrence, 26, a recent graduate from Humber College's Film and Television Production program in Toronto, enjoyed the most over the holidays.

"If I wasn't stuffing my face with awesome home-cooked meals, I was getting together with friends and family for drinks and games."

After the tinselled tree is placed curbside and the last New Year's case of empties is returned, Lawrence succinctly states his new outlook on the holidays: "It'll be the memories that stick with you longer than any present under the tree."