A long and restful Thanksgiving break should give students the opportunity to work ahead on papers, catch up on sleep, eat some good food and return to campus rejuvenated and refreshed for that last week of classes and finals.

Too bad that doesn’t happen.

Too bad your parents won’t get off your case about why you’re majoring in anthropology. Too bad your crazy aunt got drunk and exposed herself at the Thanksgiving dinner table right before the dog started humping your grandfather’s leg. Too bad you’re an international student and had to stay in New Haven partying with the Toad’s bouncer and your residential college master.

Too bad you didn’t sleep on Saturday night because you got drunk and hooked up with your ex-boyfriend from high school (or little sister’s best friend) before having to hop on a 6 a.m. flight.

Oh wait, that might just have been us.

Whatever your horror story, everyone comes back to New Haven cranky and ready to go right back home but is instead forced into three more weeks of this semester (isn’t it over already?).

So as we head into this last, long stretch, here’s a little something extra to get you through. And no, we don’t mean a little sumtin’ sumtin’ extra. We already got that Saturday night.

The last scene of 2004 is bigger and better than ever: same six pages you know and love (and you know you love it), plus two more for your pleasure. scene’s gift to you this holiday season is everything you need to know about fashion, food and books — just the distractions you need to get you through another boring Reading Week. (What a misnomer, Reading Week. Who reads during Reading Week? They should call it Drink and Sleep Around Week.)

So do some work. Then play some Halo 2. Then do a little more work. Then listen to U2. Then sleep around. Then maybe do a little more work.

That’s what we’ll be doing.