The holiday season offers endless opportunities for serious mishaps. Extended family hanging around, large-scale cooking, earnest shopping and the weather all contribute to an unstable environment prone to misunderstandings, embarrassments and all-out fiascos.

A friend of mine always tells the story of one thanksgiving he had as a child, when he decided to finally get rid of the giant pumpkin still on his front porch from Halloween. He somehow managed to roll it up the street to a bridge over the T tracks. At the exact moment the train was going by he dropped the pumpkin, and it hit the roof of the train splat on the roof. The train stopped in its tracks, the lights went out, and my friend ran straight home, traumatized by what he’d done.

Events like this are not uncommon this time of year. Of course, there are also heart-warming moments during the holidays (though those can be few and far apart). Here, we present student holiday stories of the more common type.

Click the following links to read Undercover French, The Little Christmas Strongman, Murphy’s Mischief and Merry Fishmas.