Finals are done, check out procedure is completed, car is packed, and I am on my way home.

The thoughts we all have once fall semester is completed are basically thoughts of relaxation. We have been through so much this semester and going home is the best present we could get after the stress of finals. Here are some of the best things that come with the territory of going home for winter break:

1. No Shower Shoes

Going home means we get a private bathroom and a door that can lock when we take a shower without the dreaded $1 flip–flops on our feet. Also there is no pressure to get out of the shower any quicker than the three hours that I plan to spend. Singing Grease and Wicked at the top of my lungs are my only priorities right now.

2. Home Cooked Meals

Nothing beats coming home after three months and getting your mom to cook your favorite meal that isn’t covered in grease and tears from the student workers in the dinning commons. Grilled Cheese is not difficult to make -well I guess it might be if you are cooking for than just me. I want my Grilled Cheese to be nice and crunchy but not dry and sad. So thanks mom for knowing the perfect combination.

3. Home Relationships

Getting to play monopoly for the fifth time in the same day get repetitive, but at least my friends already know my competitive side to always have to win. As for siblings, the whole “we share the same blood” thing is kind of ridiculous and tricks us into liking each other, but at least you still pretend to be happy to see me for the first two minutes that I walk in the door. But, unfortunately, that all ends when I ask to help carry my things in.

4. No Homework

After the last few weeks filled with the stress of not knowing if I was going to pass my classes or not, it’s nice to get the next month to relax and not have to write three 10 page papers. The joy of this is hours filled with Netflix with no regret afterwards. And, on top of having time to enjoy hours of relaxation, Netflix is connected to Wi-Fi that doesn’t disconnect multiple times a day! Oh, what a joy it is to be home.

5. Home

Being home all on its own is a perk of winter break. Burnt popcorn doesn’t set the fire alarm off, getting to sleep whenever-even if that means until five in the afternoon, and of course the all wonderful full sized bed that was never owned by strangers. It’s always been yours and always will be. Home is also the place where your parents live, where you spend time playing with your pets, and, of course, where there is a refrigerator that is open 24/7. That’s the real MVP! Home is the best place to be over winter break, unless I will an all paid trip to the Bahamas, of course.

The relational ties from home and relaxation mixed with Netflix and family are what brings me back home every year for winter break. Sometime I actually look forward to going home, but don’t tell the family, they’ll think I’m weird.