Ah, Winter Break. This is what college students have been looking forward to since August. Although we all dreaded December coming around because of finals, we can relax now because we survived them (barely). Obviously, Christmas is the big highlight of Winter Break for many students, but the majority of the break takes place after Christmas. Some may find this month off to be "boring" because they miss their college friends, but that certainly does not have to be the case.

One of the best parts of Winter break is getting to reconnect with friends from your neighborhood and high school. After not seeing these people in a long time, it is a great feeling to meet up with them and feel like you are picking up right where you left off. These people went through many of the same things you did and it is fun to laugh about the ridiculous things that went on during high school and how different your lives are now. Childhood and high school friends are irreplaceable and Winter break is the perfect time to spend time with them again before you all go back to your respective colleges that are hundreds of miles apart.

Another great part of Winter break is just being at home. College can be really fun but after a few months, you just need a break from all of it. Chances are, you have probably had enough of the dining hall food at school, getting up early for classes, living with a roommate, constantly being either too cold or too warm in your dorm, not being able to cook anything, being away from your pet(s), being away from your family and friends from home, drowning in assignments, having to walk just about everywhere on campus, loud people in your building, and just being stressed out all the time. No matter how annoying your family at home may seem, waking up every morning in your own comfortable bed in your own room is a wonderful thing. The fact that your parents cook delicious meals that you have not had in months is awesome and you do not miss the dining hall food for a second. Just having free time is an amazing thing.

If you find yourself getting bored over Christmas break, just remember all of the annoying things that you hate about college life and enjoy finally having some real time off from school. In high school, you would have loved having this much time off for Winter break so take advantage of this time. After all, Winter break will go by in the blink of the eye and you will be back at school before you know it. So, make the most of this time off because in a few months, you will be counting down the days until the best break from school of all: Summer.