As you welcome your college students back home from the end of their semester, we know you'll be excited. We promise we're just as excited to be home. We have been grueling over textbooks and chugging cups upon cups of coffee; our childhood beds have never seemed so welcoming. We know you'll be asking us for our Christmas lists, but even just being home feels like the best gift we could receive this holiday. We'll give you our lists, but most of what we really want can't be found at the store.
1. A long nap in a quiet, dark room without impending deadlines.
Yes, we take advantage of naps during the semester, but they are rarely uninterrupted, and they are never without sacrificing some study time or missing an important meeting or night out with friends. To spend just a few hours in peaceful slumber would truly be a blessing from above.
2. A hot meal.
We eat a lot of fast food, a lot of dining hall food, and sometimes, we don't eat at all. A good, home cooked meal is up high on the list of things we look forward to in coming home.
3. A conversation with someone about anything other than school, "the future," relationship status, the state of our politics, etc.
Just give us a break from having to think or talk about school, our major, who we're dating, and the current, past, or future political situation. We're always stressed; let's just talk about something lighthearted for a bit. TV's been pretty good lately.
4. A little extra coffee money.
Ok, this one is something we could open in a card. Help us fund our caffeine dependency.
5. Hugs.
It's been a hard semester, heck, a hard year. We could all use a little huggin' now and then.
6. A day spent doing nothing without pressure to do work or to study.
Sometimes, it's nice to have a lazy day in pj's in front of the TV, and not feel the pressure pushing down on us from all the things we have to do. We spent all semester going 90 to nothing. Let us have at least one day to just do nothing.
7. A day spent doing something fun without guilty for not spending that time studying.
Whether it be a day trip somewhere cool, holiday baking, or a day out on the town, we would love to spend a day doing something fun we enjoy and not have to feel guilty about it because there's something else we "should" be doing.
8. An opportunity to just enjoy being with the family.
When we're at school, we miss you guys. We're so excited to be home and to spend time together as a family. It's really all we want this holiday season.
