Sure, being in Europe is great and all, but I have to admit that being away from home during the holiday season can be tough. Here are some of the things I'll be missing most for the next month or so.
- Spending the Season with Family
- Picking Out a Christmas Tree
- Hearing the Fire Squad Blasting Christmas Music through Town
- The Cold Weather
- Decorating the Tree
- Putting Decorations Up Around the House
- Listening to Christmas Music with my Roommates
- Having a Thanksgiving Break
- NYC Around This Time
- American Christmas Music
- The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade
- Window Shopping in NYC around Christmas Time
- Light Shows
- Houses Covered in Christmas Lights
- Houses Covered in Decorations
- Hand-Painted Turkeys and Other Kids' Crafts
- Actual Turkey & Gravy
- Stuffing
- Obligatory Cranberry Sauce
- Sweet Potato Souffle!!
- Football
- Hay Rides
- Fall Activities
- Homemade Pies
- Pumpkins
- Canned Pumpkin
- Going Around the Table to Say What We're Thankful For
- Everyone Being Noticeably Kinder at This Time
- Starbucks PSL Jokes
- Packed Supermarkets
- 25 Days of Christmas Countdown on ABC
- Ugly Christmas Sweaters
- Hot Cocoa & Marshmallows
- Watching a Movie Near the Fireplace
- Mistletoe
- Eggnog
- Weird Aperitifs that I Feel Compelled to Try
- Poinsettias
- Santa at the Mall
- Helping Out in the Kitchen
- School Being Completely Understanding that No Work Will Be Done over Breaks
- Secret Santa
- Nativities
- Midnight Mass
- The Smell of Real Trees
- Fake Trees that Can Be Decorated Perfectly
- Ice Skating
- Stockings
- Food Coma
- Christmas Cookies
- Leaving Cookies & Milk Out for Santa with Younger Cousins
- Tracking Santa on Norton
- Mariah Carey
- Love, Actually
- Watching Elf right after Thanksgiving Dinner
- Corporate Gifts
- Waking Up on Christmas Morning
- Christmas Eve Pajamas
- Baking
- Ornaments
- Christmas Parties
- Making Unimpressive Gingerbread Houses
- Seeing Exhibits of Elite Gingerbread Houses
- Feeling Like a Little Kid
- The Excitement of Leaving Campus and Asking Everyone About Plans
- Sleeping In
- Hot Coffee on a Cold Day
- Seeing All of Dunkin's Festive Donuts
- Charlie Brown
- Seeing Extended Family
- Hanging out with My Younger Cousins
- Christmas Sales
- Black Friday (actually who am I kidding)...
- Cyber Monday
- The Weird Transition Between Thanksgiving and Black Friday that Makes Everyone Mad, though Everyone Continues to Participate in the Shopping
- Christmas Shopping
- Christmas Socks
- Stocking Stuffers
- Christmas Breakfast
- Getting Dressed for Family Events with my Sisters
- Walking in Snow
- My Parka
- Buying Gifts
- Wrapping Paper
- Seeing Old High School Friends
- Getting Bombarded with "Happy Thanksgiving" and "Merry Christmas" Texts
- The Way Kids' Faces Light Up when You Ask Them About Santa
- Santa's that Don't Look Like Santa at All
- Not Caring About Your Diet
- Eating Cookies for Breakfast
- Christmas Dessert
- 7 Fish Tradition
- Opening Presents with Cousins
- Fancy Christmas Wine
- The Hour of Complete Chaos Before the Family Arrives
- Chocolates
- Being Sent to the Grocery Store the Day Of Because There Are Always a Few Things We Forgot About
- Having a Permanent Smile on Your Face
- Positive Social Media Posts
- Feeling the Love from Family and Friends
