The holidays are exciting for everyone, especially college students. We finally get a break and get to go home to see our families and sleep in our own beds. It's supposed to be full of baking, shopping, relaxing, and spending time with loved ones. The reality is that our "12 days" starts during the worst week of the year: finals week. Christmas traditions are still on the agenda, but they tend to go a little differently when students come home from college.
1. SLEEP
On the first day of Christmas, it is essential to plop down all of your bags and run directly to your bed. The amount of time you'll spend here over the next three weeks is borderline dangerous, but don't let anyone crush your dreams. They say "dream big and dream often" right? This can be applied to catching up on sleep after a week of all-nighters at the lib.
2. Burning the cookies
On the second day of Christmas, your mom makes you help bake cookies, but you are too busy checking to see if you passed your math final, and they burn. What happens after probably isn't pretty, but it might get you out of helping for the rest of the day.
3. Having "rules"
On the third day of Christmas, you go out with your high school friends. You forget that you come home to a house where people aren't all your age, and miss your old curfew by 3 hours. Setting off your own house alarm trying to sneak in would be the icing on the cake.
4. Forgetting to buy someone a present
On the fourth day of Christmas, you realize that you were so busy "studying for finals" that you forgot to buy a present for your brother, mom, uncle, and just about everyone else.
5. Breaking the bank
On the fifth day of Christmas, you fully intend on buying these presents. However, you realize that you barely have the funds to buy yourself dinner. This results in the scraping together of money and getting creative with some homemade gifts.
6. Everyone asking about your grades and major
On the sixth day of Christmas, every family member asks you what you want to do with your life. You hide in the bathroom every chance you get and maybe even go on a "walk" with your cousins.
7. The look on your Aunt's face when you pour wine instead of Coke
On the seventh day of Christmas, your extended family learns about your daily school routine: a couple glasses of wine-or liquor- with dinner.
8. Going to your favorite restaurant and seeing everyone you know
On the eighth day of Christmas, you go to your favorite hometown restaurant. You expect to walk in and order a burger, but instead you walk into a high school reunion. If you're lucky, you were nice to the guy that works there now in high school, and you get some free food out of it.
9. Drunk texting your high school ex
On the ninth day of Christmas, you let those "few" glasses of wine go to your head, and before you know it, you're in a heated argument with your high school ex.
10. Forgetting how to drive farther than the length of campus
Not everything is a mile away anymore, and running errands or driving to your friend's house isn't as easy as it used to be. On the tenth day of Christmas, you forget all your old shortcuts, and realize being in the car for more than 15 minutes is a chore.
11. Dressing up to go to a basement New Year's Eve party
On the eleventh day of Christmas, us underage students buy hot outfits just to go drink in a basement somewhere, just like the good old high school days. Whether it's to get your friends together or to count down to the new year, you can never go wrong with a photo-ready outfit that only 15 people will see (besides all of your Instagram followers).
12. Get me outta here!
On the twelfth day of Christmas, break has already been much too long, and you're ready to go back. You don't want to hurt your family's feelings, but you can't wait to live with a bunch of other 20-year-olds again, even if that means going to class hungover and doing your own laundry again.
We have to admit it, we were so excited for finals to end and to come home. But after a week or two, boredom overcomes the luxurious life of relaxation, and we get a little antsy to go back. The hometown going out scene will just never compare to the sweet smell of a fraternity or East Lansing bar.
