Oh, there’s no place like home for the holidays! After an overly caffeinated week of library sleepovers and final exams, the perfect way to retreat and rejuvenate is by heading back to your hometown. You know, because of all the overachieving siblings, screaming cousins and the ongoing drama between too many members of your extended family to keep it all straight in your head.

Relax. Really, you deserve to, even if your household environment makes such a task especially difficult to execute during the holidays. In fact, bookmark this virtual manual to ensure that you survive your family over break. Trust me — over the next few weeks, it’ll shock you how slowly time can pass.

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December begins and finals quickly take over my life. Then suddenly, I’m sitting at home watching The Grinch and picking the dirt out of my fingernails with nothing to do.  Sure the first day of winter break is absolute bliss — I sit paralyzed to E! Network and holiday specials on my couch all day long.  I get up only to eat, pee, and transfer to my bed.

But as winter break progresses, I become so engulfed with boredom, I wonder if I’m even physically and emotionally existing in real time. The parents work, the younger sister hangs out with all of her high school friends, my cat naps, and I am left with the company of me, myself, and Wii bowling.

So in the name that is all and right with the world we know as ‘winter break’ I’ve compiled a fancy list on beating that winter boredom with a large stick.  Because we all know, at our age, being bored for more than twenty-four hours is criminal.

Elaborately Plan New Year’s Eve
For some reason, in the midst of Thanksgiving and Christmas, New Year’s Eve gets lost in the mix.  I have a strong belief that is why New Year’s Eve ends up being the biggest buzzkill event every year.  So get out there, use all those gift cards you received from relatives (that didn’t know what to buy you) and buy a sequin dress and heels.  Then, meet with all of your girlfriends over coffee and reserve tickets, plan a party/trip, and kick NYE in the ass.  If you’re really ahead of the game (or have WAY too much time on your hands), plan your spring break in Panama City.

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With Thanksgiving quickly approaching, you’re probably busy scheduling in every second of your break – a reunion with your high school pals, obligatory family time, and Black Friday madness – without giving much thought to what you’re going to pack.

Why should you plan out your packing now?

Because unless you are driving home alone, chances are you have limited packing room. (Do you really want to spend even more money for your overweight suitcase at the airport?) Packing smart helps you to maximize bag room, in order to a) bring home more laundry, b) return to campus with more leftovers and c) return to campus with an entirely new wardrobe.

Are we on the same page now? Here is a guide to items you should pack:

Clothing : Assemble clean outfit options for the first few days before you go home so you’re not scrambling to wash something (or forced to steal something from mom’s closet) before you head out with your high school buds on Thanksgiving eve. I’d take options for Thanksgiving eve, the Thanksgiving eat-a-thon, and Black Friday. By the weekend, you’ll either have a whole new batch of clothing (thanks to mom) or you can re-work what you’ve already got for what will most likely be major couch time.

In order to truly save space, pack smart. I recommend versatile items like leggings and long cardigans to:

1) Maximize eating capacity – the stretchier the clothes, the better.
2) Maximize space - not only are leggings small in a suitcase, but they can be worn dressy or casual, so you can pack fewer items, mix and match the pieces, and get more wear out of all of them.
3) Maximize your Black Friday shopping time – Layering leggings, a tank and a sweater means you can avoid those brutal lines for the dressing room and try everything on right there in the middle of the store!

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I’m going to be honest: I’m not dying for Thanksgiving break like the rest of my freshman companions. Everyone around me seems to miss home, miss their parents, and miss their beds so much that they can’t wait to get on a plane.

It seems like everyone’s FB status is something about “ONE MORE WEEK!”– even people who are totally thriving and happy college freshmen.

I, however, am completely happy at school. I love my life here and my friends and I don’t really have any homesickness pangs. Don’t get me wrong; I’m excited to see my high school friends, my family, and – AHEM – Pumpkin Pie, but I just don’t feel so uber excited to go home like everyone else.

But since I am going home, I guess there are a few things I can’t wait to leave behind in the dorms for a week….

1. Shower Sandals. I seriously DESPISE wearing sandals in the shower– even though I have really cute pink Havaianas, the whole concept of needing shoes to shield yourself from germs (when you’re trying to get clean in the first place) really bugs me. Oh, and I will not miss the girl on my hall who must lose half her hair every time she showers — the showers/floors look like a salon post-haircut, pre-sweep. Nasty with a capital N. Private shower, here I come.

2. Not needing a key to get in my room. Simple. I have a ghetto key, not a sliding ID card like many of my friends. I’ll be able to walk into my room with stuff in my hands/not have to drop everything to open my door/look like a lunatic when I have to scramble through to depths of my Mary Poppins-esque Hobo bag to find my keys whenever I need to get something from my bed. Read More »