1. Booking Your Flight Home

There's nothing that makes you feel more adult than debating over whether you should take a 7 a.m. flight or a 10 a.m. flight before ultimately deciding more sleep is better than getting home early. Your mom can wait a few more hours.

2. Packing Your Own Suitcase

Not only is it super weird to have to live out of a suitcase, but the process to fit everything into one is the worst. Despite the obvious displeasure of throwing things together or meticulously packing every Christmas dinner outfit you're never going to wear, you do it anyway. That's very adult. Also having no help from your #1 parent on how many pairs of underwear you should bring is confusing and a little sad. Packing by yourself is the next step to Grown Up Land.

Or at least that's what they tell us.

3. Navigating The Airport By Yourself

No, no. Gate 10 is that way, ma'am.

OK, well if you could be nicer about it, please. This is an international airport and my mother is not here to hold my hand this time. It's all very new, you know, sir.

Eventually we all find our gates and watch as all the families that are allergic to the cold herd their demonic children to the gate that will take them to their Christmas cruise, while we wait in our reindeer sweaters and try to remember if we packed enough gloves.

I mean, usually security is a pain in the butt, but eventually we figure it out because we're adults and we've totally got this now. We're seasoned pros.

4. Not Sitting At The Kid’s Table

Finally. For once, I am not booted off the island of adults. I can drink my grape juice in peace. With my people. This is where I belong.

But also, why does the kid's table get the bigger gravy boat, grandma? This didn't happen last year.

5. Decorating Your Own Apartment/Space

Finding your own Christmas decorations is difficult. You're broke, out of groceries, and eggnog seems 10 times important than a wreath on the door. Instead of holiday decorations magically popping up the day after Thanksgiving, you have to do it yourself. The time, the energy. It's all leading up to your own traditions outside of the family you grew up with. The ones that made sure the holiday season felt like a holiday season. It's the most adult experience hanging up your first wreath.

But only after you buy some eggnog.

6. Wrapping Presents By Yourself

Let's be real, you've probably been wrapping presents since you were young, but not this kind of present wrapping. This is the present wrapping where it's not expected of you. The kind where you're taping paper to a box of stuff you bought out of the kindness of your heart to give to those you love. It's a very adult thing to do during the holiday season, even though you may secretly pay for someone to do it for you.

7. Having to Make a Christmas Shopping List

There are a lot of people to buy things for. It's a mess of wrapping paper, tears, and panic. Trying to put down a solid list of things the people in your life might actually like is the most difficult part of the entire season. It could end up being really, really bad.

Last year I got my sister a "Sons of Anarchy" blanket and she liked it a lot. On the one hand, I almost got her a gift card to Subway.

The blanket was the right choice, obviously. I would not have picked it if it wasn't on my Shopping List. (That's a lie, but being organized is very adult.)

Honorary Mentions:

Making a Holiday Dinner

Navigating Target the Day Before Christmas Eve

Not Forgetting Holiday Cards

Not Resorting to Gift Cards

Creating Your Own Traditions with Friends

Telling Your Boyfriend You Want a Diamond Ring for Christmas

Pretending Like You Don't Care What Gifts You're Going to Get

Soaking in the Holiday Cheer By Inhaling More Peppermint Mocha Than Your Body Can Stand

Hanging Up Lights

Finding Love