After a long semester followed by a week of finals, winter break is always a much-needed reprieve for every college student. And no matter what, winter break always plays out the same way.
1. Frantically packing to go home.
Between your last final and your trip home, the last thing you want to do is pack a suitcase and think about everything you’ll need at home. So you inevitably put it off until the last possible minute, realize what a terrible idea it was, and frantically dump everything you own into one bag and hope for the best.
2. On the way home excitement.
Once you pack all your things and realize you aren’t going to miss your flight, it finally hits: that uncontainable excitement that makes you talk to the person sitting next to you about your Mom’s cooking and how cute your pets are. This excitement lasts until the kid in the seat behind you won’t stop kicking your seat, and the air in the aircraft is stale. But despite everything you’re still anxiously awaiting your homecoming.
3. “Oh home hasn’t changed” disappointment.
When you walk through the door and put down your things it hits: Mom didn’t put up the Christmas tree, and really everything didn’t change, even though you did. But at the end of the day, home is still home, and you’re happy to be back with the people who love you most, even if they neglected to get in the holiday spirit.
4. Exhaustion from finals.
Finally, after fighting it off for days, it hits: the utter exhaustion from finals. When this happens you sleep, and sleep, and sleep. Your Mom will ask if you’re okay and you’ll wake up long enough to grunt: “yes, I’m tired” and dose off again.
5. More exhaustion.
After recovering from finals, the next portion of winter break will be spent recovering from sleeping too much. Nothing will save you from this feeling except time.
6. Visiting friends from high school.
Visiting friends from school is one of those bittersweet things. You look forward to it every time you come home, and can't wait to catch up on what everyone has been up to, but it's also difficult to realize you weren't as close as you used to be.
7. Seeing extended family over the holidays.
This is either a great experience or unbearably awkward. There is no in between. Every family has family members that they love and look forward to seeing during the holidays, then you have that one family member. The one who makes everyone uncomfortable and miserable. At least their passive-aggressive and rude comments are something you only have to deal with once a year.
8. Procrastinating on what you wanted to do over break.
You wanted to do so many things over break: revise your resume, read that book, start going back to the gym. You entered break so ambitious, but quickly start finding ways to put off these tasks.
9. Denial that school is starting soon.
Then as soon as it started winter break starts getting closer to the end. But how can that be? You have only been home for like a week. Where ever the time went you will never know.
10. Anxiety that school is starting.
Once you realize that school starts soon it hits: you haven't accomplished anything, and you have so much to do before you go back! Try as you may, you won't accomplish what you intended
11. Frantically packing to go back to school.
Once again, you procrastinated. Now its the night before you head back to school, and you still have to pack. I guess there are just some things we never learn.
Winter Break serves as the much needed break that undergrads need to get through the year. Getting to see family and friends is truly a wonderful experience, and hopefully nothing too dramatic happens!
Have a wonderful rest of your Winter Break!
