Winter break has finally arrived, and I am already loving it. This is by far the best break of the year because, in between terms, it is almost impossible for one to have homework. Three blissful homework-free weeks... yes please.

Winter break is a beautiful break for college students, and being home for break is just the best (luckily, since this break is so long, most students actually get to go home, too, no matter how far away they live!). So, here are a few reasons why being home for break is so great:

1. As mentioned, homework is nonexistent.

OK, so I guess this doesn't apply to the "home" aspect, since this lack of homework applies to you no matter where you are, but you just need to sit a minute and appreciate this fact: you don't have homework. No essays to write, books to read, or tests to study for -- nothing. Enjoy this. It won't happen again until summer.

2. You get to sleep in your own bed.

No one is particularly in love with the tiny twin beds at college, but over the weeks you grow to tolerate them. But then you come home, lay in your own bed, and remember that this is what heaven feels like. Springs don't dig into my back, I can fling out my arms without hitting the wall... it's those little things, right?

3. Food. Real food.

College food will never be good. Tolerable... yeah, sure, we can go with that. But when your mom puts a home-cooked meal in front of you after a semester of chicken tenders and fries... it doesn't even matter what it is, it is your new favorite food.

4. You have a beautiful abundance of free time.

Remember how there's no homework? That means free time. To do things for FUN. Remember fun? You had it once, back in that first week of classes when nothing was happening? Yeah, it's time for that again.

5. You can Netflix in peace.

No roommate to be bothered by the noise, no one to judge you when you're watching the 10th episode today of Supernatural... and hey, you don't even have work staring at you, making you feel guilty for allowing the next episode to start playing automatically.

6. You can pee in your own, private bathroom.

Maybe this shouldn't be such a big thing, but knowing there aren't three people hearing me pee is kind of one of my favorite parts of home. No communal bathrooms = beauty at its purest level.

7. You have your own shower (and shower head).

Again, should this matter so much? Well, it does. You don't have to wear shower flip flops, which is beautiful in itself. Plus, isn't the water pressure at home always perfect? You know your hair looks better when you get out of the shower at home for the first time in a long time.

8. Doing laundry doesn't have to be a full work out.

I still have to do one flight of stairs, but some years I did three or four flights at school... coming home and being able to just do laundry without sweating was a great thing. And if you're really lucky, your mom will do some of your laundry for you...

9. You can see all your friends from home you've been ignoring all term, since you were too busy for a social life.

I don't know about anyone else, but when I come home and see friends from high school, it's like I never even left. We go see movies, go out to eat (mainly at Dennys, because we can handle sub-par food if it's cheap), and spend a lot of time just catching up with each other.

10. You can cuddle your pets.

Being on campus and being deprived of pets really sucks (and Elmira knows it... hence the monthly visits from the therapy dogs). The first thing I do when I get home is force my cat to cuddle with me, because I missed her cute little face.

11. You get to see your family.

Now, some people don't see this as a plus... and I'm sorry for you if that's the case. Break can be rough. But for a lot of people, being able to spend some time with family is really a blessing. I don't know about anyone else, but when I'm at school, sometimes I really just need a hug from my mom -- no one else can fix it but her. So it's nice to see the family, hang out, catch up, and get all those necessary hugs to prepare us for the next stressful term.

Everyone please, enjoy your break! Rest up for the upcoming term, enjoy the holidays, and whatever you do, do not think about school until... well, until the first day of classes. It doesn't matter until then. And you need this mental break from the work!