Winter break is a great time, it’s the holidays and the first time you are home for an extended period of time. As much as you love it, you can easily begin to hate it. There are 5 distinct stages of winter break that all college students experience. Allow the length of the stages differs for everyone, each will be experienced. Here are the five stages:

1. I'm Finally Home

There is nothing better than stepping in your own front door and being greeted by your pets. After four long months of a dorm mattress you finally get to sleep in your own bed. You realize that you have no work to do and can finally relax after a stressful semester. On a happy scale of 1 to 10 you’re most likely at a 20 and have never been happier to see your parents/siblings. Knowing you’ll be able to spend at least three weeks with them just makes you smile.

2. Give Me All Of The Food

A home-cooked meal is really the only reason you came home. The fact that it is the holidays means you get endless home cooked meals and desserts and this is really why you gain the freshmen 15, sophomore 25, etc. The food your state is known for has also never looked better. Personally, as soon as I get home I have to sink my teeth into pizza and bagels and eat them so much over break because the pizza and bagel places near my school are just sad. You love being home because it means you get to eat all your favorite foods again.

3. All Of The Friends

If you’re like me and went to school 10 hours away from your hometown, breaks are the only time to see your high school friends. Getting together with everyone, especially for holiday parties, fills a void you didn’t realize you had. Seeing all your old friends makes you miss all the new ones you’ve made at school. If you’re lucky you may be able to meet up with some of them if you live close enough! Enjoy the time you have because it is around here where the happiness starts to fade.

4. Oh No Not Again...

Although seeing old friends is great, you are bound to run into people at home that you’d rather just never see again. And when you do run into them you might want to run and hide. Whether it be an ex, an old friend, someone you always butted heads with or the teacher you could not stand, seeing them will automatically dampen your mood. They remind you of the things you used to be and realize you are in such a better place now. And yes, they are most likely still as childish as they were 2 years ago.

5. Can I Go Back Yet?

As great as everything is at home, it will get old. The great food will make you feel sick, you’ll miss your college friends and weather, you’ll get a job because you’re so bored and broke. Quicker than you’d realize you’ll find yourself wishing you were back at school. For me, this happens right around the end of week one of being home. But I don’t see it as a bad thing. You picked your school for a reason and in a way you live there now, it's only natural for you to want to go back. It’s around this time you’ll begin to slowly re-pack your suitcase, if you ever unpacked in the first place!