Kuala Lampur, Dec. 25 -- Christmas Day in Malaysia is a public holiday. Offices are closed. Traffic is lighter (in the city, not on the highways!). Many families are already on the road, taking advantage of the school holidays to squeeze in a year-end break. Hotels and homestays are full. RnRs (rest stops on highways) are busy. Airports hum with quiet excitement. It does feel festive, even for those who are not celebrating Christmas itself.

And yet, in many ways, it is also just another day.

Some people are still at work. Hospital staff, security guards, retail workers. And at universities, students are still attending classes. At Universiti Malaya, this week is Week 10, falling squarely in the final third of the semester. Assignments a...