THE GOOD —
The Holidays:
It’s the most wonderful time of the year! During the Christmas season you can expect to come home to houses lit up, freshly-baked cookies waiting to be decorated, trees adorned from top to bottom, and presents waiting to be opened. It’s the only time a year when you have an excuse to wear an ugly Christmas sweater and sing carols non-stop. Families are brought together around dining tables for elaborate feasts and donation jars and bins are filled through generosity and compassion for those less fortunate. It’s a time to step back from the chaos of every day life, cherish time with loved ones, and reflect on what truly matters. Leave behind the stress of being an adult and let yourself be a kid again. Get lost in the joy of leaving cookies for Santa, watching classic holiday movies, and ripping open presents on Christmas morning.
Then, of course, there’s New Year’s Eve celebrations. Whether you’re spending it with family or friends, this holiday is a night to celebrate the start of a new year with those closest to you. It’s a time to reflect on the good and the bad. What would you change? What do you hope for? Who do you want to surround yourself with? Are you on the right path for a bright future? Take the time to really consider these questions before rushing to make your New Year’s resolution lists, which are often full of unattainable and impractical aspirations that only lead to disappointment. With the year ahead of you planned, the only thing left is to bid the past farewell with champagne and an annoyingly hard-to-clean amount of confetti.
Break From Classes:
We’ve survived finals. Hallelujah. Now, it’s time for some down time. In the next four weeks, your Netflix account is going to learn things about you it never thought it could back at school. Your bed will re-take your shape as you curl in a ball under layers of warm and cozy blankets and spend countless hours doing absolutely nothing productive. Your daily planner will be empty and your body re-energized. Just sit back, relax, and give that busy mind of yours a break. Leave those math equations behind and instead indulge in some “guilty pleasure” television. Send back your textbook rentals and replace them with a Cosmo magazine. It’s time to take up leisure reading again, a luxury college students don’t get to enjoy very often. Appreciate the freedom of a day left unplanned and off-schedule. Enjoy it while it lasts, because once the new semester begins, these days will be hard to come by.
Travel:
For many, travel plans have been made for this winter break. If you’re like me and wish you could hibernate away the next two months of winter, you’re probably off on some tropical island soaking up the sun and sipping on cold, fruity drinks made by a gorgeous bartender. If you’re like my family, who insists on doing so each year, you’ve decided to venture even further into the coldness for some skiing and snowboarding. Either way, just know that all of us back home are stalking your Facebook photos and feeling extremely jealous.
THE BAD
Cold Weather:
You know it’s winter when you can’t be outside for more than two minutes without your nose dripping and fingertips going numb. A heavy coat and winter accessories can only go so far. Depending on where you live, you might either be enjoying only a mild chill or could be snowed in without any hope of leaving your home anytime soon. Let’s admit it, the birds got it right with their migration patterns. Meanwhile, we do our best to bundle up and brave the cold on our daily errands and dreaded walks to and from the car.
THE UGLY
Boredom:
After the struggle of packing and traveling home, the first day back is such a relief. You’re excited to be home and see your family, pets, and a fully-stocked fridge. You spend the next couple of days doing absolutely nothing. It’s heaven on earth. No finals, no papers, no stress. Give it a week and now you’ve re-read the entire Harry Potter series, demolished the delicious welcome-home treats your mom bought in the initial excitement of seeing you again, and binge-watched a handful of TV shows on Netflix you swore you’d catch up on once the semester ended. By week-two, the boredom will begin to hit. Once you move past the initial sloth phase of winter break, you’ll soon find yourself wishing you were back at school with a busy schedule and surrounded by friends who are available at your liking to go out with. So keep yourself busy, whether with volunteering, a part-time job, or internship hunting, and just enjoy the time you have left at home.