Christmas break is something everyone looks forward to during the school year. We get to be home with our families, there isn’t any schoolwork to worry about, and we get to indulge ourselves in endless amounts of food. This is true for most except for us basketball players. We don’t get quite as long as most students, and there are both things we love about it and things we don’t love as much about it.

Things we don’t love so much:

1. We typically get a week or less to see our families.

Basketball players don’t usually get a fall break because that’s when the season starts up for us. We don’t mind this so much because nothing really goes on during that break. It’s just a little break from school, and not everyone’s fall breaks match up. Most of us are so excited to be starting our season that we couldn't care less if we get a week-long break or not. Christmas break is a little harder because everyone comes home during this time. High school friends who we haven’t seen since summer are home and siblings who are also in college come home at the same time, so we struggle a little more with this one.

2. We don’t get to indulge in the food as much as we’d like.

Because we only get a few days off, we know if we were to eat as much as we’d really like to, we’d probably feel sick during our sprints the following days in practice. The number of times we have to pass on the seconds of our favorite holiday dish is quite saddening now that I think about it, but I know I’ll thank myself for it later when I’m able to make it up and down the court without vomiting everywhere.

Things we love:

1. We don’t have time to get bored.

If we had a month off like everyone else, I think we would go crazy. Basketball gives us some routine and structure. Don’t get me wrong. I love my time at home, but sometimes four weeks is just too long. If I had that long at home I would more than likely sleep, eat and repeat which in turn, would only cause me personally to gain an obnoxious amount of weight.

2. Our teams are more like a family.

During season, we spend every single day together. With practices, team dinners and games, we don’t really get much time apart. We go through a lot together in the months leading up to December, so when we do finally get that week or few days off, we miss each other like crazy. Our friends from home don’t get our inside jokes, so we text each other about it, and it reminds us how much we miss our squad. Speaking of — currently counting down the hours until I get to see my team.

People frequently text me or ask me how long of a break I get because they know I don’t get much. When I respond they usually reply with an, “Oh my gosh! I’m so sorry. That’s a bummer.” For me it’s does suck sometimes, but most of the time it’s not so bad. I’m lucky enough to be on a team with a group of girls that I genuinely miss when I’m not with them so that makes it easier to go back.