You did it. You've survived finals, hours of typing papers, and preparing your presentations. Give yourself a pat on the back, even if you barely made it...

One semester down, one more of the year to go. Now you can finally relax. Now you're finally home for the holidays, away from the college stresses of class, homework, projects, and tests.

So, how does it feel? Well...

You may feel great to be back.

Or think those two or three weeks between Thanksgiving vacation and winter break didn't even happen.

It doesn't matter though, because you especially missed your pets.

And you'll unpack after a nice three day nap/recovery from finals.

You realize though that there's no food in the house and no dining hall to swipe into.

And there's no money in your wallet.

Only one solution...

It's great to see your old friends again...

For a while.

You try to avoid those awkward confrontations with people around town that you hoped you'd never see after high school. And yet, they are inevitable.

And you really don't feel like telling any more people about your life for the past four months.

You want to go out that night with friends, but you and everyone else is busy.

There's no campus staff at home to clean the yard or wash the dishes. That's all you.

And there is nowhere to go and nothing to do. But at least you can enjoy watching your college friends having fun elsewhere (according to their Snapchat stories).

It hasn't been a week yet and you already want to go back to school.

Even though you may have said the exact opposite when you were at school.

Seriously?

So, what can you do? Well, just remember to not dwell on what could be happening right now and instead embrace what is. Winter break is a very special and also a very important time. The holiday break is supposed to be a time to catch up with family and friends back home. It's also a time to take a load off, have fun, and get a little work in.

A month away from college may seem like a long time, but it goes by more quickly than you think. You'll see your college friends soon and be glad you got some time away from the books and typing papers at 3 a.m. So enjoy the festivities and bonding with loved ones and old pals. The second semester is on it's way! And hey, don't be awkward or rude to people who just want to know how you've been. It's Christmas!