Classes are over, finals have been taken, grades have been posted, and drinks have been shared. Another semester is down in the books, and you should be proud of yourself for barely scraping by another term. You say goodbye to all your college best friends, teachers, the kid that you run into in the gym every week yet you still don’t know his name, the beloved delivery driver from your favorite pizza place, and that guy who texts you at 2 a.m. just wanting to “chill.” You pack up your car or suitcases and venture on the journey that takes you to wherever your home might be. Now, there are countless articles written why being home for the holidays is the worst and why you cannot stand to be asked why you are still single, but many of us discredit why being home for the holidays is the one of the best places to be. With that being said, here are the six reasons why being home for the holidays is the best:
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One word: food. The fridge is stocked and not with leftover pizza from the night before, the pantry is full of your favorite go-to childhood snacks instead of packs of ramen, and you have a meal put in front of you every night that hits all food groups.
2. You get to trade in that twin XL bed that is essentially a slab of hard material encased in a protective layer for a bed that is just waiting for you to jump into at night. Coming home to a made, clean, and normal-sized bed is one of the finer things in life.
3. You are treated like royalty when you come whether you will admit it or not. You are asked what your favorite meals are and they are made. You get to pick what you want to do for the day and it is done. Your parents think every accomplishment you have had this semester is equivalent to winning a Grammy. Even the neighborhood kids think you are the Queen/King as you drive around because you are in college and you are just so cool. Little do they know how lame your life actually is, but ride the wave of royalty for as long as you can.
4. Your parents have missed you. No matter how many times they have told you that they love having an empty house or how their lives have gotten significantly better since you moved out, they are lying. They have missed you leaving every light in the house on, singing at the top of your lungs while cooking breakfast and waking them up, or forgetting that the alarm is on and opening the door at 6:30 a.m. They miss you and all the little quirks that make you. You would be lying too if you said you didn’t miss them.
5. This is a double-edged sword; catching up with friends can be detrimental and agonizing or incredibly rewarding. The way to ensure that this is done most effectively is to make time to see people who you want to see and vice versa. Don’t waste your time getting coffee with someone who no longer has a positive impact on your life, and instead focus on someone who you are genuinely happy to see.
6. Most importantly, realize how fortunate you are to spend the holidays at home when in reality a lot of people who want to be home with their families cannot. I understand your family might nag at you and ask you beyond inappropriate questions about your personal life, but it is all love and you are lucky enough to feel that unique family love firsthand. Be grateful, thankful, and appreciative of your time at home because there is never enough of it.
