Christmas is my absolute favorite time of the year. I love the decorations, the music, and the comfort of being with friends and family. When I began college though, where I really wanted to spend Christmas changed. Granted, last year and this year I will be spending it in family's home in my hometown, but believe me, that's not where I want to be.

And I'm tired of everyone getting offended when I say that.

When I applied for college my senior year, I applied with the goal in mind to get as far away from my little town in New Jersey as I possibly could. So I went eight hours away to North Carolina, and I've loved every second of it. I've met so many new people, learned and seen things I would have never experienced staying in the North.

Many people fail to realize, college is not just a phase of your life, it creates a whole new chapter. Now, I have an apartment, a dog, and friends that I can't remember what life was like before them. I have a routine everyday and comfortability here, because this is my new home.

Of course I'm excited to see my family and a very small group of friends who I miss so much, but there isn't anything that excites me that much about going to the actual location of my home anymore. My bed doesn't feel like my bed, I get excited to eat real food but when I get there I kind of miss living off pasta and oatmeal, I run into people that I hated in high school, there's never anything to do, and the same drama with the same people doesn't stop because I'm home for the month.

There's nothing for me back 'home.' My family will always be my family, and the friends I do have, have been around for years and I know no matter where life takes us, they'll always be there. But what else? I can't think of anything off the top of my head other than pork roll.

For some people, this is enough for them and I would never knock the people that chose to stay in our beautiful little beach town, but it's just not for me. I can't be confined to a town that's a square mile with the same people I've grown up with when there's a whole world to experience and people to meet, and that's all I can think about when I go home for breaks.

So this holiday season if you hear me say that I don't want to be home for break, please don't get offended. And if you do, reevaluate how seriously you take things and keep it to yourself anyways, because I'm over hearing it.