For many college students, their fall semester of college has come to an end, and the sleepless nights, weight gaining and unnecessary fire alarms have come to a halt. Students finally can experience the stress-free life they've anxiously been awaiting as they return home for the most wonderful time of the year.

Unlike Thanksgiving Break, which is shorter and filled with stress as students are preparing for finals, Winter Break is much longer and allows for students to sit back, relax and enjoy their time home surrounded by the people they love most.

During this time home, students have the opportunity to:

1. Spend time with family

I think we can all agree on one thing. Spending time with family over the holidays is one of the most indescribable feelings one will experience. Over the holidays, families seem to put all differences aside to celebrate the season. Families will venture to a Christmas tree farm, Christmas lights will be strung, cookies will be baked, presents will be opened and smiles will be abounding. Although some of us hate to admit it, our families mean the world to us. So, over the holidays, cherish each and every minute with your family.

2. Hangout with friends

There is no better feeling than being reunited with your closest friends after not seeing them for months. Being with friends makes it truly feel like you are home. You've been making plans in group chats for the past few weeks, planning what you will do when you are reunited. Then, the day comes and you finally get to see some of your favorite people. You all head over to someone's house and hugs, stories and smiles are shared. Oh, and we can’t forget, we have to get a quick hug from our best friend's mom because shes more excited to see us than our best friend. After a few hours of catching up on the past few months, we all want to do something fun, so we end up driving around town for a few hours because, “there is nothing else to do in this dumb town.” After a few hours, you feel reassured because it honestly seems like nothing has changed, despite the new friends we have all made at college.

3. Eat momma's home cooked meals

Okay, lets be honest. College food was great at first, but it gets old. Dining hall food is delicious, but our mothers cooking is better. Home cooked meals are hard to imitate, especially our mother’s homemade mac n’ cheese. While you are home for the holidays, enjoy all the home cooked meals that come your way, because in a short month, you will be back to the good old dining hall food.

4. Sleep in your own bed

Does anyone else feel like they have the back of a 104-year-old? If so, you can probably blame this on the uncomfortable dorm beds you sleep in each night. Not only do these beds give you a bad back, they provide you with sleep loss and occasional knees to the wall, resulting in you waking up thinking you put a hole in your wall.

5. Make money

For those of us who have a job, over break we have the luxury of returning to work. Yeah, sitting around enjoying break with friends and family would be nice, but for many of us, we need to use this time to earn money for books and extra spending money for the following semester. This often sucks because we miss out on fun activities with friends, but I suppose the money is worth it. So, for those of you who are fortunate enough to not have to work, never complain, because you are lucky.

Now that calendars are slowly getting thinner, the weather has turned chilly and the holiday season is arriving in full force, make some unforgettable memories while you are home for the holidays.