Come every December, fall semester feels like a blur and 100 agonizingly long years all at the same time. We will it to go slowly in the early months only to wish it away in those last few weeks when finals are heavy and freedom is just within our reach. After exams are crushed and essays are submitted we are literally home free for a blissful month or so before returning back to a school.

Contrary to popular belief, school can be enjoyable. Especially college. But, unlike high school, college tends to close out each semester with roughly 15 weeks worth of work all due in about one week. Add that to the fact that you’re already probably neglecting your social life and/or not getting enough sleep and there is nothing more tempting than the prospect of home for the rest of the holiday season.

Cafeteria food gets replaced with mom’s home-made cooking, your floor mates switch back to your siblings, and your oldest friends are all back in one place for the time being. After being away for four months, your life goes back to what was the norm for you for 18 years of your life or so. You may have had a rough semester, or lost yourself a bit along the way. Winter break is literally “coming home” in every sense of the phrase.

But what makes winter break any better than summer break? Summer break is a full 3 months of sunshine and freedom, after all, and winter break is merely one month during one of the coldest months of the year (depending on where you live). I think that, what it really comes down to, is the spirit of the holiday season. Christmas is meant to be spent with your family, laughing and celebrating and remembering. This break has a purpose beyond the need for relaxation and recuperation. It is a chance for you to reunite with your loved ones after four months of hard work, challenges, and change (and the presents don’t hurt either). What makes winter break so special is that it is meant to be spent embracing those you love. I’d take that over 90 degree weather any day.

That break is just enough time for you to miss your tiny dorm room, your college friends, and even homework. Luckily, it’s only a few weeks. You’ll be back before you know it, so don’t let FOMO get the best of you. Enjoy your time with your family, and celebrate the season. Christmas comes but once a year, and yours is always meant to be merry & filled with love.