It's December-- finals week has just come to an end, and you're ready to head home for the Holidays. It's easy to forget what life at home is like after spending months at a time being away. Here are five common stages people go through while being home for the holidays.

Stage One - Excitement

Let's face it-- you're excited to go home for the holidays. The big holiday break is the wonderful, much needed break you are able to get from school or work. Whether you get one week off or almost a month and a half, you are grateful to not have to deal with the stress of exams, work, classes, etc. Not to mention, especially if you're a college student, going home for the holidays means going home for an extended period of time where you don't have to pay for your food. A nice, home cooked meal is always something to get excited over. That fancy Ramen noodle recipe you've finally mastered will be out of commission for a while, sorry!

But as soon as those finals are finished for college students, it's a rush to pack those bags and hit the road. Home is where the heart is, but it's also where pasta and cookies are!

Stage Two - Boredom

Once you've gotten home and unpacked (and taken a beautiful nap after that drive home), it's time to do-- wait, uh... What is there to do around here? Coming home for the holidays is wonderful to see your family and get free food, no doubt! But when it comes to keeping the average person's restless mind entertained, it gets pretty boring at home. Sure, you can occupy yourself with Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, etc., but there are only so many memes and rants you can encounter before you've seen them all. Now that you can breathe again after handling a semester's worth of stress, what should you do? Well, you can always help that sibling with their science homework.

But let's be real here; you want to hang out with your friends, party and be social! But most of them live so far away during the holidays, which leads us into Stage Three:

Stage Three - Sadness

You've realized you're bored at home. Your friends are far away from you right now. And you've seen every meme and binge-watched Grey's Anatomy for the fifth time. It's officially time for tears. Well, it's a good thing you have all of that free food from your family...

But as fun as being home with your family can be at times, you truly miss being able to be with your friends at a moment's notice. Staying up until 1 a.m. watching random YouTube videos just isn't the same without your friends by your side.

Stage 4 - Hope

Through all of your sadness and boredom, you slowly start to remember why you're home: The Holidays! Personally, I celebrate Christmas which, for my family, always means two full days of feasting, with gift giving and loving exchanges. So, you start to get hopeful thinking about the presents your family might get you. Maybe they could even be so kind as to... pay a month of your rent? Fingers crossed!

Stage Five - Love

Even though they're not always the most exciting people in the world, you know that your family always has your back. Your family will relentlessly try to cheer you up, plus they always know what the perfect gift for you is. The holidays are just another reminder that your life is always a little bit brighter with your awesome family around you. So kick back, enjoy your break, hug your loved ones especially tight, and have a Happy Holiday!