Holidays are times for family to gather and share embarrassing stories and company. Most students in college pack their bags and head home to enjoy the festivities. However, the story is a little different for those of us who live hundreds of miles from home.

When the drive home is more than 5 hours, it can be hard to find the time to make it. No one wants to spend $600 on a round-trip flight 1,500 miles home for the two or three day vacation. By the time you land you only have 12 hours before you have to climb back on the plane home.

So what do we do? We stay here, in the hollowed town that is usually bustling with college students. Campus feels a little emptier, the streets are much quieter. Grocery store lines are much shorter, and the gym is always empty.

Though there are perks to being stuck alone over the holidays, there are also major downfalls. Being away from family during a time full of traditions can be devastating, especially for first-year students.

Coloring Easter eggs and or eating a Thanksgiving turkey by yourself is never the same as being home. You come to miss the bickering family, drunk aunt and slightly creepy uncle included. It can get lonely fast, and you may have the urge to call your mom 12 times a day.

In the end, there is nothing better you can do for yourself than make friends.

That first holiday on campus by yourself can make you feel like you are the only out-of-state student there is.

But that’s not true. Ask around, meet people like yourself and organize movie nights and makeshift holiday celebrations.

Going to school away from home can be isolating, but it doesn’t have to be. You’ll never find that same feeling you get when you’re at home during the holiday, but you can find other ways to be happy.

Start new traditions with your friends or growing family. Keep yourself busy. Volunteer to take an extra shift at work. Go on an adventure out of town. Head to the beach. Go climb a mountain. Binge watch the whole Harry Potter series and make some homemade butterbeer.

Holidays away from home are tough.

Personal experience has shown me that those special days are exactly what you make them. So stop feeling bad for yourself, accept that it sucks, and decide to make it a little bit better.