It's finally here: winter break, the time we've all been waiting for! Being home for break is awesome; spending time with friends and family during the beautiful holiday season is a very special luxury to enjoy. On the other hand, when it does roll around, winter break can be a bit underwhelming or even disappointing. The very things that make it great can also make it uncomfortable. Anyone who's home for the holidays can identify with this list of the things that make winter break bittersweet.
1. There's Nothing to Do
One of my personal favorite things about break is that I have free time that's actually free. During school, there's always work to do (or work to be paranoid about because you haven't done it). But during break, you can do whatever you want. Wake up at 3 p.m.? Very average winter break behavior. Lie on the sofa all day binge-watching Netflix? Totally acceptable. Alternatively, you could do productive things like reading a book or catching up with friends or reviewing material for a class next semester. Even these activities are superior to what we do during school, and that's because we do them on our own terms.
2. There's Nothing to Do
As I previously mentioned, during finals week, my friends and I did nothing except cram and will time to pass so that we could be home for the holidays. Maybe it's just me, but as soon as I got home and finished unpacking, a wave of intense boredom slapped me in the face. While it would surely be nice to wake up whenever I wanted to do whatever I wanted, it was very strange to have spent a semester creating strong friendships just to be separated from those friends as soon as I had time that was actually free. When you don't live a door down from al of your friends, actually filling your free time can prove pretty difficult.
3. Eating
After months of eating your school's dining hall food, Thanksgiving was just what you needed. However, it meant going back to those dining hall meals that much harder. Now, you can finally resume your preferred eating habits, which might even mean home-cooked meals! Being home for break means you eat well; no exceptions.
4. Eating
The one downside to eating so well once you're home is that you'll find it hard to stop. I'm convinced that the Freshman 15 isn't from the dining hall food at. Instead, I think it is a direct result of stuffing our faces with holiday foods once we're home.
5. Driving
If you have your license and you've been away from your car the entire semester, getting back in the driver's seat is one of the best parts about being home. Flying down the open road feels amazing, especially after you've gone so long without the freedom of driving wherever you want.
6. Driving
Since you've been gone, a number of things could be sabotaging your driving situation. If you have a sibling like I do, they might be the one who's gotten used to driving your car. Or maybe now that you're home, your parents intend to implement curfew rules you'd forgotten about. You may not even have a car at all anymore. No matter what the reason, driving might also be a little more frustrating than you remembered.
7. Seeing Family
The holidays would be nothing without family; they're truly the reason for the season. Not only is it great to spend more time with your immediate family, but the chance to see more distant relatives is yet another very important reason that winter break is special.
8. Seeing Family
While reuniting with family is great in theory, it can sometimes turn out to be a bit awkward. Between unfortunately politically charged conversations and uncomfortable questions like "How is school?" or "So when are you going to get a boyfriend?" spending an extended amount of time with family you haven't seen in a while is always a bit of a challenging transition.
9. Shopping
The holidays means shopping, and at this time of year, there are deals on deals on deals. Chances are that you'll do a lot of shopping this break, and if you go with your parents (or any generous older relatives), chances are that you won't have to spend your money doing it.
10. Shopping
Even though there are many, many deals at this time of year, you'll probably still spend more than you would any other time because of all the gifts you need to buy. In addition to spending lots of money, you might be frequenting crowded shopping malls, scrambling to make sure everyone you care about gets crossed off of your list. On top of that, you also need a gift for Secret Santa and your family's yearly game of White Elephant (a gift exchange game also called Yankee Swap, Grinch Game, or Cutthroat Christmas). Despite awesome holiday discounts, shopping during this time of year can be stressful and more costly than the sales make it seem.
11. Going Back
The idea of going back to school may seem horrible, but maybe being with friends is worth the grind of waking up early, going to class, and doing schoolwork. Break wasn't meant to last forever, so maybe going back doesn't have to bee so bad. After all, what you're going back to is still a lot of love and camaraderie (with some education mixed in). Think of it as the same kind of reunion you got over winter break!
12. Going Back
Who am I kidding? Despite all of the drawbacks of winter break, going back to school is probably the most painful part. No more lazy days sleeping in until it's practically nighttime. No more doing or eating whatever you want whenever you want. No more hanging out with family (and spending all their money). Going back to school after a period of relaxation and being showered with gifts is the true definition of tragedy.
In conclusion...
Winter break certainly has its pros and cons. Unfortunately, we don't get to pick and choose, so we must take the bad with the good. Thankfully, we'll have family and friends to keep us jolly while we transition from a combination of stress and total freedom to leisure mixed with the rules of home. Try not to focus too much on the negatives (or the impending doom of returning to school). Instead, enjoy winter break for what it is: a break during which we can unwind and spend some much-needed time with friends and family.
