December has always been a magical time of the year to share with my family. I love walking around my neighborhood, all of us adorned in thick fluffy mittens as we ooh and ahh over the twinkling lights strung along the houses. My father always goes into full Clark Griswold-mode, spending most of his limited free time decorating our house with stars and signs for Santa. My teenage sister adores baking, making everything from peppermint fudge to festive cupcakes. However, once I left for university, December became a month of grinding for exams and cold, lonely winter walks from campus. It just wasn’t the same.
Luckily, I’ve had a beacon of light in this dark season: my friends, who are always available for a cup of tea, a chat, and a good laugh. My university friends and I became fast friends, and soon enough, they began to feel like my family. And as we got closer, I began to wonder what it would look like if my worlds were to collide — my new college-family meeting my actual family.
I figured there was no better time to make this happen than during one of my favorite times of the year: the holidays. When I brought it up to my friends, they were thrilled by the idea of visiting my family for a night and grateful for the change of scenery. My parents are always happy when I can make it home, and bringing my friends home for them to meet was a bonus. But I think the most stir-crazy person leading up to the night was me — I was a flurry of emotion waiting to see two spheres of my life, which had previously remained separate, intersect for the first time.
My hometown is only an hour and a half away from campus, meaning the trip wasn’t difficult to plan. We all packed into the car and took turns blasting songs, creating our own version of Carpool Karaoke. When we got there, we had wine and charcuterie with my mom, who is currently studying psychology, similar to two of my friends I’d brought with me, Angie and Roxy. It was incredibly rewarding for me to watch my friends interact with my parents, and I realized it also brought me closer to my parents on a new level. My parents loved their time at university and met each other in their first year, and now they get to witness their daughter in that stage of live that so deeply impacted their identities and life paths.
My friends were also able to meet my horde of siblings, which I was particularly excited for, especially because two of my siblings are very close in age to us. It was heartwarming to see the people who I love bonding and laughing together, fueled by intense games like Cheat and Cards Against Humanity. Now, whenever my siblings visit me at university, they want to see my friends as well, and often have a lot to catch up on among themselves.
That night definitely brought my friends and I closer together, as they were able to get to know me on a whole new level, meeting the people who raised me and have been there my whole life. Since then, I have been to each of their childhood homes as well, and I feel that I’ve gotten to know them even better by connecting with their wonderful families just like they did with mine. It’s such a gift to see friendships flourish outside of campus and extend to our personal lives all over the country.
Now, visits to my family’s house have become a holiday tradition for my girls and me. When returned in second year for another charcuterie night, I invited my high school friends to come meet my university besties. Instantly, everyone hit it off as we yapped over a bottle of wine. I’m so appreciative to have two beautiful sections of my life — the relationships I deeply care for at home that are founded upon history and intimacy, and my relationships with my university friends that are newer and more rooted within the present — that can overlap in such a natural way.
Now, once again, my friends and I are all preparing for our visit to my hometown this holiday season. I can’t wait to see our bleak university edition of the holiday spirit — eating Lindors in between quizzing each other on key terms to prepare for exams — transform once again into an evening in front of a glowing Christmas tree in my childhood living room as we watch the snowfall over hot chocolate.
When I left for university, I was scared and lonely, feeling anxious that I wouldn’t make friends and longing to return home to the comforting bubble of my family and childhood friends. Instead, I was brave and I put myself out there — and I’m so grateful I did, because my world has only expanded. Now, I am reminded of how large and supportive my community is every Christmas as I watch all of my favorite people, old and new, come together to celebrate this magical time of year.