It's holiday season and that means it's time to return to our hometowns to spend Thanksgiving and Christmas with our family and friends. Let's face it college really takes a toll on us. From preparing for finals, getting all your bills paid, and figuring out how to survive off of frozen foods for the remainder of the semester it's a stressful time to say the least. So it only makes sense that when it's time for Thanksgiving and Christmas break it's seriously like a gift sent from god. We love our family and love coming home to be reunited with our friends, but the best way to explain being home for the holidays is with a little help from Buddy the Elf.

1. Food for DAYS!!

There's nothing like coming home to your mom's cooking and holiday leftovers. Surviving off of frozen dinners and fast food for the past few months will make a person hangry. You may not be eating spaghetti and maple syrup for breakfast like Buddy, but getting to go home and enjoy stuffing, potatoes, turkey and if you're lucky tamales is like a gift from Santa.

2. Their House...Their Rules

You may be in college and paying your own bills, but when you come home your parents don't let you forget that you are staying in their house and that means you can't be out until 5 a.m. like you would at your college home. It's hard to go from picking up when you feel like it to having to make sure your parents house is clean 24/7. As long as you don't cram cookies into the VCR (if you even have a VCR) then remaining on your parents good side should be easy

3. Awkward small talk

Small talk is never fun, well, unless you're Buddy the Elf, but if you're like me you know how awkward small talk can be when you run into old classmates or people you somewhat know, but aren't sure if you should say hi. It's part of being home for the holidays so might as well get use to it!

4. Your family...gotta love 'em

Coming home and seeing your family is definitely one of the best parts about coming home for the holidays and just like Buddy sometimes you have to shout your love for them because you just can't contain your excitement.

5. Hometown friends

Holiday breaks not only means family, but friends too. It's great catching up with your friends and reminisce about the good old times in your small hometown and pretty much acting like you never even left. Your friends may not be Santa, but you're just as excited to see them as Buddy is to see Santa

6. "You're STILL single?"

Around the holidays your family seems to really make it known just how single you are because they are constantly reminding you that another Thanksgiving has come and you still haven't brought anyone home yet. I guess I just haven't found that special someone yet.

7. Pretending like you have your life together

Coming home for the holidays is usually the first time many college students have returned to their hometown since August. This means not only do you try to act like you have your life together and know exactly what you are doing like Buddy the Elf seems to be doing in almost every gif, but again just like an Elf in New York you have no idea what's going on.

8. So much to do so little time

A new restaurant just opened up along with a few new stores, not to mention you want to catch up with friends, hang out with your favorite cousins, binge watch Christmas movies, AND squeeze in a few naps. Coming home for the holidays may seem long, but sometimes you have so much you want to do while you're home and there just isn't enough time!

9. Every thing is all fun and games...until you get bored

Yeah coming home is great and all, but sometimes your hometown gets a little boring and suddenly you're looking for this to do while asking yourself how you ever survived high school.

10. But you love being home for the holidays

Regardless of all the questions your family bombards you with, all the awkward small talk, trying to find entertainment, and cheesy family time you wouldn't want to spend the holidays anywhere but in your hometown with your family and you're just as happy as Buddy the Elf when you're home for the holidays!