Perry Como said there’s no place like home for the holidays, and as a kid that was (and still is) one of my favorite Christmas songs. But I didn’t appreciate the true meaning behind the lyrics until I got to college and understood for myself how incredibly special it is to be home for the holidays. It’s impossible to pick just one reason why November and December are two of my favorite months of the year, that list could literally be miles long. There is something so special though from a student’s perspective as to why coming home for Thanksgiving in November and Christmas break in December is simply the best. Being with family, home cooked meals, all of your home friends back together for the first time since August, sleeping in your own bed; like I said I could go on forever.
For me personally, and now for my sister, it starts when we walk onto the platform of the Metropark, NJ train station. It’s so comforting. Our parents are eagerly waiting, looking for us in a sea of people that just got off of the train give us the biggest hugs when they spot us. All of this is followed by our first home cooked meal in long while and sitting around listening to Christmas music, just talking and picking up right where left off last time we all saw each other. It’s the best feeling and nothing compares to it. Then there’s seeing even more family around the Thanksgiving/Christmas dinner table. We spend both holidays with family that we typically only see a few times a year, spending that time with them are extra special. As a student, you realize that times like these are truly meant to be treasured, because we don’t get them often. We soak up every second of family time we can.
And then there’s my best friends who haven’t all been together since August. We have waited months to tear it up and cause the same trouble we love to get into together. Running around our hometown, going over to each other’s houses and killing a bottle of wine and watching Christmas movies, or trying out the new restaurants that came to our town while we were at school are just among a few things we look forward to doing together. It may only be a day or two, but its some of the best hours of break. You’re not catching up on your weekend over FaceTime, you are in their physical presence laughing, talking, and just simply being together again.
Finally, it’s the little things about being home that make being back for break so special. Little things like waking up in your own bed, running downstairs to smell of bacon and coffee, being in your own living room with your family Christmas tree with a fire burning in the fireplace and Christmas music playing, looking outside your bedroom window to see your neighborhood covered in a blanket of white snow, and my personal favorite, being a train ride away from NYC and spending a day of adventures with my sister. Nothing beats it. All of those little things make being home so very special. So students coming home, enjoy every ounce of your holiday breaks and soak up every last second you can with friends and family and being in your own house. If you blink, you’ll miss it, so appreciate every moment that comes your way.
HC xoxo,
Annie