The holiday season brings many reasons to celebrate. Between finishing up classes and finally being home with family, there’s a ton of logic supporting large feasts and long drinking bouts. College students who are coming home look forward to delicious home-cooked meals, second helpings of everything, and going back to all the places they frequented with friends over the summer. However, there’s no denying that switching from a strict diet of ramen and iced coffee to Paula Dean-style cooking all day will have some side effects. You might notice a little extra weight when you get back to school, but honestly it’s fine. You have nothing to worry about.

Don’t start panicking when your skinny jeans fail to button on the first day of spring semester. Literally everyone else spent break the same exact way. We all stuffed our faces with way too much mashed potatoes, turkey, pies, cinnamon rolls, latkes, and other holiday favorites. We all drank too much eggnog, played too many beer games with old friends, and had enough hot chocolate to last a lifetime. So, if you are worried about the few pounds you gained, you really shouldn’t be. Everyone else is in the same boat.

Another reason you shouldn’t worry: January is cold, so you’ll be layering. No one is going to notice that you ate too many pancakes at home because you’ll be all bundled up in a bunch of coats and jackets. It’s impossible to tell the difference between a little extra weight and a perfectly paired sweater-flannel combo. So enjoy the break at home and forgo the gym until you have to be spring break ready. No one likes crunches anyway.

There is a major advantage to being a little heavier after the holidays. Similar to how black bears can gain 30 pounds in a week to prepare for hibernation, I plan on adding a nice layer of blubber over the month I’m home. It’s great because when I get back to school the cold won’t bother me. The extra weight will shield me from the chilly winter climate. There's no need to hold back on dessert when grandma offers you some after dinner. You only live once and it should not involve curbing your diet and missing out on delicious celebratory foods that only come around once a year.

That is why it is perfectly OK to gain 10 pounds over break. Between Thanksgiving and the winter break, you are bound to add a couple pounds to the scale but it doesn't matter for several reasons. The first reason being that everyone else will have gained weight as well. The playing field is even. Second reason is that no one will notice because you'll be clothed in thick winter apparel. Lastly, the extra weight will help keep you warm while you wait in line for the bars during syllabus week.