As many college students know, Christmas break is both a blessing and a curse. We can finally eat, sleep and binge-watch Netflix till our heart's content. Not to mention, having Mom's home-cooked meals, and not having to eat dining hall food/another microwave meal, is utterly fantastic. But at the same time, we're wrenched away from our lives at our amazing school. Dayton students know that as nice break is, being away from our second home is painful. This month can sometimes feel like forever. In celebration of only having one week left until we all get to go back, the following is a list of 15 things all Dayton students miss over winter break.

1. Taking pictures of the Chapel and posting them on Instagram.

Hardly a day goes by that I don't see a classic Chapel pic pop up in my Instagram feed. I could judge, but let's be honest: I'm guilty as charged when it comes to taking Chapel pics. We as a student body simply love our Chapel, and for good reason. It never looks bad in a picture. Seriously, it's like the Barney Stinson of buildings. It doesn't matter if it's the dead of winter or the middle of summer; the Chapel is flawless. So go ahead, take five different pictures, and make the Sophie's choice of "to filter or not to filter"—the Chapel pic is always a solid choice

2. Getting our caffeine fix at the Blend.

Who needs Starbucks when you a) never have to leave campus thanks to two seriously convenient locations in Miriam and the library, and b) the Blend serves Boston Stoker, which is incredible, and has even better specialty drinks? Seriously, cannot wait to have the Blend back in my life.

3. Using the "True Team" Snapchat filter to prove you actually went to a basketball game.

Those geotags are the best thing to happen to UD arena since the First Four when UD beat Boise State. That was definitely a big deal, but the geotags were a close second. I mean, what better way to show to your friends you love UD basketball?

4. Being able to use the bomb UD geofilters in general.

Using the city of Dayton ones was definitely nice for awhile, because that "Dayton Inspires" one is incredible. However, it's awesome we got geofilters specific to campus. The fact that one is the outline of the Chapel? Perfection.

5. Cousin Vinny's or the 24 Hour Domino's

Does Vinny's have the best pizza in the world? Eh, not necessarily. Are their breadsticks food of the gods? Absolutely. Do you need 10,000 multi-colored Vinny's cups running around your kitchen? Nah, but I bet you do. And when else is it acceptable to order just OK pizza at 3 a.m.? Only in college and especially at UD.

6. KU breakfast and VWK breakfast

Two words for you: breakfast potatoes. All other breakfast potatoes pale in comparison to the wonderful fluffy, yet crunchy, goodness that are the KU/VWK breakfast potatoes. My body is fully ready to accept KU's heavenly potatoes once we get back to school.

7. Timothy's Bar & Grill

Come on, you know you'd be lying if you said you didn't actually miss Timothy's. Where else can you pay far too much for a sugary drink and then stick to the grimy floor while trying to listen to DJ Butta in the Treehouse? Timothy's holds a special place in our hearts, and we can't help but miss it when we're gone, even though we've sworn it off for next semester for real this time.

8. The Hazing Lady

Oh, the hazy lady—God bless her. There's just something comforting about driving down Brown Street on a Friday afternoon and hearing her sing her soothing, yet totally unintelligible songs. Here's to hoping she keeps doing her for a long, long time.

9. Complaining about UD Secure

To be fair, UD Secure has been working a lot better lately. It still always has a knack for going out at the most inopportune time, like prime homework (lol Netflix) times.

10. The KU fountain (when it actually works).

Sitting on that stone ledge on a beautifully sunny day, just listening to the water of the fountain, is actually one of the most soothing things in the world. KU fountain is easily one of the best parts of walking around campus. However, as great as it makes me feel, nothing bums me out more than when I realize it's not on. Petition to have KU fountain on all of the time, even though it's not practical? Thanks.

11. The Recplex

College students in general are lucky because most colleges offer a free gym membership. UD students are particularly spoiled when it comes to the Rec. Like every building on campus, it's absolutely gorgeous. Plus, it's huge, has tons of intramurals, students never get kicked off machines for athletes and there are actually enough machines. Bless up, Recplex. Bless up.

12. Pretending to study (or actually studying, good for you) in Club Roesch

Even if you head to Roesch, open your laptop in preparation to study, and then end up five-years deep into your best friend's Facebook, at least you can do it in style in Roesch. There's tons of study space (pro tip: back right corner of the fifth floor is a prime paper-writing spot), and if you're up on the fifth and sixth floors, you can sit next to some amazing views of campus and the surrounding Dayton area. Plus, the American Library Association voted Roesch one of the best college libraries for finals week programming for the free pizza, free coffee and puppies. That's a major bonus.

13. The restaurants on Brown Street.

So. Many. Options. It's a little overwhelming how many good restaurants there are. You can satisfy literally every one of your cravings. Great for your stomach, pretty horrible for your wallet.

14. Sheet Signs

I have no idea how this tradition started, but I'm so not opposed. UD students are ridiculously clever, and all we need to prove it is a $5 white sheet from Wal-Mart and some paint. We never need a specific occasion to make a sheet sign, but Welcome Weekend, Parent's Weekend, and March Madness make for the strongest sheet sign game by far.

15. Each other

One of the reasons UD students are so happy and love our school so much is because of the people. I've said it once and I'll say it again—no one else has a better student body than UD. There's nothing better than reuniting with your roommates, your best friends, that random group of people down the hall or coming together as a whole campus for the first day back on campus. It's a great feeling to know you're surrounded by an amazing group of students who love UD just as much as you do.

So here's a shout out to all of my Flyers—enjoy your last week, but stay strong, only one more week till we're back in the 937.