You double check that you remembered to take out your trash and didn't leave anything important in the room, lock the door and sprint to your over-packed car. Winter break is finally here! Whether you come home once a week or have yet to come home all semester, it is a glorious feeling once you are finally done with exams and walk through your front door to be home for a month. Regardless of whether you are home closer to 2.5 weeks or you're home for a month, we tend to get pretty comfortable at home and fall into a routine. Here are 21 things that inevitably seem to happen when you come home for break.
1. Frantic about what to pack, you err on the side of caution and pack everything.
What if I really need this one sweater I never wear? So one suitcase, a backpack and four bags later you wonder, "How do I have this much stuff?"
2. You refuse to unpack your bags.
I promise it's easier to just throw all my clothes out of my duffel bag in search of one sweater than to unpack. I'm not technically home for good, so I don't need to unpack. I'm independent.
3. Throwing orderliness (and the rest of your stuff) aside, you let your room get as messy as you want.
Even though my roommate's side of the room is immaculate 99 percent of the time, I try to at least make sure my side isn't a safety hazard. Now that I'm back in my old room for a month and don't have to share with anyone else, it doesn't matter that there are at least six different pairs of shoes, dirty clothes and a few bags strewn across my floor. I'll clean it up eventually.
4. You still think about food in terms of "my food."
"Mom! I'm out of my food. We need to go to the grocery store!" (Proceeds to get same six items while Mom buys the actual family groceries.) There's also the dejected feeling of not having your own space in the fridge and having to deal with family members eating "your food."
5. Now that exams are over, you basically hibernate.
Sure, I woke up at 1 p.m., but another nap wouldn't hurt.
6. You swear that you're finally going to catch up with old friends and be social, but all you end up doing is sitting on your couch watching TV or sleeping.
"I have a prior commitment...with the Hallmark channel and my couch."
7. In fact, you really don't want to do much of anything unless it involves the couch or your bed.
The couch is so close to the kitchen -- and I don't have to rummage through a few storage cubes to find snacks because the pantry is right here!
8. You wear your pajamas all day, just because you can.
It is 9 p.m. and yes, I have been in this same shirt and pajama pants all day. (Oh wait, you basically do this in college anyway.)
9. You spend most of break praying that you won't end up running into anyone from high school.
Let me just hide under a rock and forget that high school was a thing, OK? Thanks, bye.
10. But you can't avoid running into anyone you know because it's bound to happen. Probably in line at the grocery store.
"Hi Mrs. So-and So! Tell ______ I said hi!" (Was I friendly enough?)
11. You actually want to hang out with your parents.
Once you're away from them for a while, you start to miss the 'rents. Nothing's better than watching a movie together as a family or going shopping with Mom.
12. Your calendar is so free that you have time to hang out with your family, and fit in as many babysitting jobs as possible.
"Sorry this is so last minute, but can you babysit tomorrow night?"
Looks at empty calendar, and replies too quickly, "Sure, I'd love to!"
(Do they really want me to babysit, or do they only ask because I'm always free?)
13. You actually want to do your laundry.
No laundry sign-up list or creepy dark laundry room! Mom already bought the detergent! I don't have to carry all my clothes up three flights of stairs!
14. You revel in the glory of your mom's home-cooked meals.
"What do you want for dinner?" is the hardest question to answer when there are endless possibilities, and you no longer have to eat soggy dining hall salads.
15. You miss your college friends after about one hour of being home.
You find yourself texting a group message and anxiously wait for replies.
16. All of your friends are scattered across the state (or different states) and you miss being able to hang out whenever.
Hanging out with Mom and Dad is fun, but not that fun after a few weeks.
17. Family members and other adults from back home want to hear every detail about your life.
"What's your major?"
"Do you like your roommate?"
"What classes are you taking?"
"Tell me all about it."
18. Being at home starts to get boring after a while, and there is such a thing as too much Netflix.
How many more episodes can I even watch? I need human interaction. I'll do anything just to get out of the house!
19. You start to miss everything about school.
This is the point during break that you actually wish you had something to do or a class to go to. You miss all your activities, friends, beautiful campus and maybe even your classes.
20. You even start to miss the things you never thought you would miss.
You even miss your loud neighbors across the hall. Living at home is just too quiet when you've been in a dorm. You even start to miss the dining hall just because of the prospect of eating meals with your friends again. Even if it means eating the "chicken" burrito and having to cover everything in ranch dressing just to make it edible.
21. Before you know it, it's time to pack up those bags (that you just unpacked a week ago) and head back to school.
Home was nice, but it has been too long away from your friends and the new place you call home, school.
