During this season, we are often expected to reflect on the year previous, thinking about what we've accomplished and what we can do better this year. I made a big step this year-- I went to college. I thought, going into college, that I was so ready to be on my own. I knew for sure I wouldn't miss home. I thought I'd come home for Christmas and Thanksgiving and that would be enough for me. Boy, was I wrong. I crave home, I miss home! I visit way more often than I had planned, and it's wonderful. Home is splendid, it's cozy, it's everything I miss when I'm away at school. It's nice to come home to my goofy family and my clean house and my adorable pets. It's nice to flop down on my bed and wait for dinner to be served and watch cable TV. Home is perfect.

Home. It's a simple, four-letter word, but one that carries so much meaning. There are a lot of sayings about home. It's "where the heart is" or "wherever I'm with you". It's weightier than "house". The word home encompasses a whole host of meanings. Home is the place you stay and feel most comfortable. Home is your memories, your feelings, the things that make you proud. Home is the good times and the bad times, the ugly and the pretty. Home is your warm, freshly-made bed hugging you after a long day. Home is the smell of your mom's cooking as you walk in the door after the drive home from school. Home is your dog, your cat, your brother, your sister. It's a simple concept with layers of warmth.

Being home this holiday break has made me realize how wonderful home is. There are lots of things I took for granted when I lived at home all the time. My dog and cat, for one. I never realize quite how much I miss them until I see them again. The same goes for my parents. Trust me, your parents get a lot cooler once you're out of the house. I love spending time with them when I come home. There are even dumb, little things that I now realize I took for granted when I lived at home, like two-ply toilet paper. I mean, come on! It's a trivial thing, but it's such a luxury compared to Scott one-ply back at school. I also took for granted my full-sized bed. Goodness, did I miss being able to stretch out as wide as possible as I slept! Life at home, at least for me, is wonderful. It's simpler, it's warmer, it's kinder. It's home.

This holiday season, I hope you're enjoying your home. I hope you're spending time with your friends and family and making new memories and taking pictures. Even if home isn't your childhood house or with your blood relatives, I hope you're enjoying it. You can make home anywhere. I say I have three homes: my family home, my university, and my job. Home is where you feel safe and warm. Home is where you make memories and feel the most joy. I hope you can make home out of anywhere, with anyone, especially during this time where you may feel lonely. You can even make home all alone-- as long as you feel happy and warm and safe, you've found home.

Embrace your home this season, whether you live there permanently or you're just visiting. Don't take things for granted. Love each moment, each mess, each ridiculous moment. Love your crazy family and friends-- laugh with them, not at them. Remember to be thankful and kind to everyone, even if you may not like the people you have to spend time with. Take lots and lots of photos and annoy everyone on social media with your cheesy posts. Get into the spirit of the holiday, even if you don't really care for Christmas. (That's a lesson I need to take for myself.)

Home. Create it, love it, live it. Your life will be so much better, I promise.