Help Me, I’m Home: 5 Winter Break Scenarios That Will Drive You Crazy

Ah, the holidays. Exams are over and you’re looking forward to relaxing at home, being with your family, and reuniting with all of your high school friends. It’s all simple and easy, right? Wrong. You and I both know that being at home for the holidays is definitely not that blissful. Sure, being around family after you’re prepared to never look at a textbook again is great, but there’s a reason why the Christmas break always feels about a week too long. You’ve done a lot of growing up since moving away for school, and the thought of going back home where there are rules and people you thought you’d never have to deal with again is totally cringe-worthy. You’ll never forget where you came from, but here are 5 reasons why your school life is much more appealing while you’re at home:

1. The people you’re trying to avoid pop up everywhere you go

This issue is especially real if you live in a small town where the attractions are limited. You want to go the mall? Be prepared to see at least five people you don’t get along with. Going to a party? Well, the guy(s) you used to hook up with will be there too. Two weeks of seeing people who epitomize all of your bad memories is almost as stressful as the exams you just wrote.

2. Rules that you aren’t used to

You’ve been living on your own for a while now, so going home and having to abide by your parents’ rules feels a lot like backtracking. I have to tell you what time I’m coming home before I go out? What do you mean my boyfriend isn’t allowed in my room? I can’t take the car even though no one else needs it? These restrictions have you counting down the days until you can regain your freedom.

3. Constantly being reminded of schoolwork

The only thing you don’t miss about school is the actual work it involves. So why do your relatives insist on reminding you of it every time you see them? The list of questions never ends. How did your semester go? Were your exams hard? Was that because you didn’t study enough? Do you know what classes you’re taking next semester? You’re trying to relax during the holidays, and school is the last thing you want to think about. Do you think we could talk about something else guys, anything else?

4. You see your friends a lot less than you think you will

The entire month of December is a countdown to seeing all of your hometown friends. Everybody posts in the group chat about how excited they are to finally see each other, and you guys have set a ton of plans. But when the holidays finally do roll around, it becomes hard to coordinate hangouts around everyone’s busy schedules. The result is only getting to see your friends once or twice during the break. It’s not enough to fully catch up, and you swear you’ll see one other again the next time you’re all in town. Things were so much easier when everyone lived within a five-mile radius of each other.

5. Being home just doesn’t feel like it used to

Although nothing about your hometown has really changed, you have. Being at home feels a lot different when you know that the visit is temporary. The reality is that your hometown is not your only home anymore, and you’ll miss this place when you have to go back. The realization may be sad, but it’s not a bad thing. It just means that you’ll always have somewhere to go back to.

There may be several annoying things that you’ll have to deal with while you’re in your hometown this Christmas, but just remember how lucky you are to have two places you can call home. It’s nice to be around family that loves you, and we all secretly miss some of the shenanigans that our hometowns bring. After all, this place prepared you for making it in the real world.

Featured image via Brigitte Tohm on Pexels