Congratulations on making it through another semester! I know it was rough, and I know you're very happy to have a brief stint of freedom. Here are things that you absolutely have to do when you're home.

1. Greet your pets with as much enthusiasm as they greet you

The best experience is coming home to a pet who is overjoyed at once again being in your presence. This is a great time to grab a couple of selfies because your pet is so overjoyed to see you. Here is a pic of my dog Marshie.

2. Get a haircut so your family is tricked into believing you took care of yourself

This is a trick I do every year, usually before Thanksgiving. On my way home I stop and get a haircut that way when people see me they notice that I don't look like a total trainwreck despite the fact that I am, in fact, a total trainwreck. The haircut trick essentially tells your family "Oh, I care about my physical appearance and didn't spend all of last week in my pajamas." It also helps to make you look mentally stable and not about to cry because you are so stressed out.

3. Take a shower without having to wear shoes

Bathrooms in college are disgusting. Even when you're in your own on-campus apartment, wearing shower shoes is just generally recommended for prevention of any sort of fungal issue. This is especially true if you are living in traditional dorms and your showers are used by everyone on your hall. Now that you're home you can be confident about the cleanliness of your shower and you can go in barefoot (a luxury).

4. Do things that make you happy

The semester was stressful, and to get through we all had to sacrifice things that we loved to do. Personally, I love to free-read but during the semester I am completely unable to. During the break I plan on reading multiple books. I also plan on actually playing Undertale which is an incredible independently-made game that was gifted to me by a friend. I've played a bit of it when I had the time, but I am so excited to play it this break. Hopefully I'll also play Majora's Mask because it's one of my favorite games ever.

5. Deflect questions about your semester and the future

We all know we're going to get these questions, "How was your semester? What degree are you getting? What are your plans after?" I tend to mix it up on occasion giving either vague noncommittal answers like *shrug* or "I'm working on it" or I'll give the really elaborate, ridiculous ones like "I'm going to join the space war and fight to reclaim Mars." It's really your pick.

6. Catch up with friends and family

This is the most important thing because you missed them and they miss you. It's important to remind them that you love them despite them asking the questions that you don't want to answer.

I hope everyone has a really wonderful and restful break!