When people think of the holiday season, many quintessential, marketable, fuzzy memories come to mind. Family traditions, large plates of warm food, fun conversations with friends you haven’t seen in awhile–all staples of these few months of merriment. So, in the spirit of the season, I wanted to take a few moments to think about what I’m personally thankful for this year.

Starting college made me highly appreciative of a lot of things I probably took for granted far too much for far too long. I’m so happy I have parents that care and want to call me all the time just to say hi and hear how my day was. I’m incredibly thankful I ended up at the same college as my twin brother, because even though we don’t see each other nearly as much as when our bedrooms were across the hall from each other, we can at least rely on the fact that we’re around if we need each other. It’s also extremely convenient and awesome that my home is 25 minutes away, which means I can easily go back and sleep in my own room, eat home cooked meals and hug my puppy and my parents on any weekend I’m feeling too overwhelmed or homesick.

Yet in addition to feeling increasingly grateful everyday for my familial support system, I can’t help but be just as thankful for my new Berkeley family. Thank you to my fantastic friends and all the cool people I’ve met around campus for making me laugh, motivating me to study, and overall highly enhancing the college experience. I’m thankful for the fact that I made it out of high school unscathed and now have the chance to go to such an amazing college and pursue academic opportunities I only dreamed about before. I’m almost always in a great mood, because even though classes get frustrating and I don’t get enough sleep, I know I’m loved and supported and that makes everything a million times easier. So, second semester, bring it on.