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.

initiating the gallery...

What are you dreading this holiday season? Have any tip for how to survive it all? Tweet @CC_Intern with passive-aggressive complaints and wise advice –I’ll be watching for your tweets all day! Your tweets could be in a CollegeCandy blog THIS weekend.

Ashley is a UC San Diego grad who is holding on way too tightly to a potential career in magazines and goes to Vegas all too often. She’s fascinated with celebrities and strawberry beer and doubles as a pathological texter/emailer/blogger. Feed the addiction with tweets @cashleelee. Thanks in advance.

Ever hear the story of the ugly duckling? No? Let me refresh you then. The Ugly Duckling is quite simple a story about an ugly duck. Nobody wanted the ugly duck. Not the mother, not the brothers, not the other birds, not even the gross geese. So the poor ugly duckling ran away from his home to live by himself. At the pond where he made his new home, he would longingly stare at the swans, wishing he could look as majestic and beautiful as them. Until one day, after spending months in a chicken coop and then escaping almost being cooked alive, he returned to the pond and saw his reflection. He was finally beautiful. He was a swan… What a bunch of bull s***.

This, not Cinderella, not Snow White, not Sleeping Beauty, ruined my childhood. You don’t go from being ugly to beautiful. Trust me I know. I’ve tried my whole life. And what’s this? His mother AND brothers shun him. Now that is the life I want. My family tries to cheer me up. I have three sisters and each one is more gorgeous than the next with their shiny locks and long legs. Here I am, frizzy and stout. Winner.

People don’t believe me when I tell them they are my sisters. They try to cover it up by saying “oh… well, you know, your hair is different.. it’s lighter. Yes, lighter!” WRONG. We have the exact same color. Theirs hair is just smooth and glossy. Better yet, “It  must be the different body types. That always throws people off. Your sisters they’re more…lean. Toned. You have an athletic body type. I totally want your body.” Athletic? To be athletic that implies I am an athlete. Well, I guess hot dog eating champions are athletes. So yes, my short, thick-set body is quite athletic. Much better than lean and toned…

At least I have my personality to make up for what I lack. People always laugh at me when I tell jokes. People always want to drink with me. People always want to be friends with me and my friends. Aw hell. Who am I kidding? It’s time to give it up and call it like it is. For all of you ugly ducklings siblings out there, say it loud and say it proud: TRUE LIFE: I’M THE UGLY SISTER.

All hail Parents Weekend! At some colleges, parents have already graced your dirty dorms with their angelic presence, while other schools celebrate this unofficial holiday in early and late October. Regardless of whether mom and dad have come and gone or have yet to come, we’ve got all the basics to keep floating well above the water during Parents Weekend!

When I was a freshman, I could not wait to see my parents. It was the first sight of normalcy I’d seen in weeks after living with my super crazy psycho roommate. Seriously guys, don’t screw this up!

First, there are a couple of simple rules to follow when hoping to master Parents Weekend. Since mom and dad are going to spoil you silly with gifts, homemade favorites, dinner at your restaurant of choice (we all know you’re picking the most expensive) and maybe even a mini-shopping spree to get you those must-have dorm and wardrobe necessities, we’ve got a detailed list of a few subtle ways to give back.

1. Do take your parents on a tour of your school. Whether or not it’s walking around your inner campus or actually going through the buildings and pointing out which class takes place where, it’s a no-brainer that parents love this. Show them the places where you grab lunch and/or snacks, what your fitness facility looks like, where you go to enjoy some down time with friends in between classes.

Don’t admit to them how many classes you’ve skipped to get belligerent, or how many times you “accidentally” slept through class, or which classes you already know are going to interfere with Tuesday 2-for-1s and Friday afternoon Happy Hour. While mom and dad might expect you to skip a few classes here and there, make sure you throw in the safety line, “the syllabus says that we can miss up to three classes before we lose any credit.”

2. Do clean up your room and throw out your trash before you parents get to your dorm room. If you’re a real pig, start preparing for parents on a Monday and hopefully by Friday you will be able to find the floor again. Go through your drawers and even if you’re not going to bother to fold your clothes, at least stuff them far enough into each drawer that you can’t tell it’s a war zone inside. Remember that vacuum your mom just had to get you? Here’s some advice: use it. Moms can tell. They can always tell.

Don’t hide your lucky stash of condoms under your pillow. If you’re a procrastinator and wait until Sunday morning at 10am to start going through your mess, you’d be better of shoving those baby protectors into a sock at the bottom of your closet. Here’s the problem with stuffing them under your pillow. Sometimes parents need to sit down and that seat might just be found on your bed. Another reason: if your mom is anything like mine, she will want to make your bed. It’s just a thing moms do. So while mom is busy fluffing and patting down your sheets the last thing she needs to find is a whole bin of Magnums.

3. Do make reservations at a nice, causal restaurant in whatever town or city your school resides. It’s nice to take your parents into the center of your community and show them the fun things they can do while they come to visit, as well as the fun ways you stay busy when you’re not overwhelmed by classes and homework. Choose a restaurant or pub that seems like it will fit your parents’ taste as well as their wallet. You’re not trying to break your parents’ bank on the first night!

Don’t take your parents to your school cafeteria. I always wanted to smack the kids that I saw doing that. While I totally understand living and working on a budget, there are other ways to provide your parents with a good meal that doesn’t involve sitting between animals scarfing down all-you-can-eat burritos. If you’re going on a budget, buy some sandwiches and take your parents on a picnic at a local park, or grab some appetizers to share at a small, inexpensive café downtown. Remember, you have no choice when it comes to eating college cafeteria food, and while you might find it tasty enough to keep down, your parents should not be subjected to that same kind of torture.

4. Do get tickets to a sporting event that is taking place during parents weekend. If there’s not a sporting event happening (like if you go to a school that has no major football or soccer team), research other opportunities for your parents to see all there is to see at your school. Maybe there is a play or a barbeque for your major. Keeping your parents enclosed in your dorm room all afternoon might not be the best idea. For example, I went to college at UVM. While we didn’t have a major sports team (my dad loves football so, no football, no-go!), there were tons of things to do in Burlington to keep them busy: hiking, apple picking, walking along the water, etc…

If you’re taking mom and dad to, say, a football game, don’t bring a water bottle full of your favorite liquor. I don’t know how your parents get down, but chances are it’s not like that. Also, don’t sit them in the same section as the rambunctious lunatics that shotgun a beer every time your team tackles someone. Wait until you’ve securely tucked your parents in for the evening at their hotel room and then go out and play as hard as you want. Be careful how hard you go though, the last thing you want is a buzzing iPhone flashing your mom’s number while your head is submerged in a communal bathroom stall.

5. Do introduce you parents to your roommates and their families and spend some time letting them get to know each other. It’s okay if you find your roommate’s dad’s voice about as stimulating as watching paint dry, just remind yourself that you need to give your parents ample time to figure that out, too. Your parents want to know what type of family your roomie comes from, what her morals and values look like, how she was raised, you know, all that stuff you don’t really care about at 11 in the morning.

Don’t tell everyone in the room who’s listening that embarrassing story where your best friend walked in on your dad using the bathroom, or that time when your mom pressed the gas instead of the break. Big no-nos! While it’s okay to share those stories with your roommates, your parents are going to be merely acquaintances and don’t need to know anything beyond the basics. Since being friendly and not friends is where your parents’ relationships may begin and end, don’t invite everyone to join you guys at dinner. Your parents drove all this way to visit you and spend time with you.

[Hey everybody! Sarabeth here with a new feature that, quite frankly, I'm stoked about. Each week I'll be bringing you an album that I feel is particularly awesome in the hopes of building iTunes libraries everywhere! It could be something new, old, hugely popular or fairly unknown, so keep checking back for our suggestions to awesome-ify your music collection.]

Sigh…my and everyone else’s winter breaks are very quickly coming to an end. And while I may currently be spending time at home with the fam, I will soon return to my friends and there needs to be some serious drinking action. Not only do I want to mourn the end of my last semester break of college, but to also drink away this past week with my entire family under the same roof for the first time in a year. For this last weekend of break, I highly recommend AWOLNATION’s debut EP, Back From Earth.

About the Band:

AWOLNATION is the new solo project of Aaron Bruno of Under The Influence Of Giants and Home Town Hero. The name AWOLNATION comes from his nickname Awol, which he’s had since high school.

Top 3 Tracks:

Sail

Dirty Filty Soul

Burn It Down

Why You Should Listen to It:

Although only being 5 tracks, Back From Earth delivers– and each track for it’s own reason. Burn It Down and its remix are great for when you’ve had a bad day and just want to party to forget about it. Dirty Filthy Soul is bluesy/funky while being catchy as heck. This might be TMI, but Sail makes me want to grab a drink and a guy. MF rounds out the bunch with a bad ass vibe. This is the perfect album for a weekend of debauchery to prepare you for spring semester

"A razor? What are you trying to say, honey?

Christmas is fast approaching. (Five days, but hey, who’s counting?) While I’m sure you’ve already picked out the perfect gift for everyone on your list, I bet you haven’t given much thought to what you’re getting this holiday season.

Well…I have.

I’ve taken my favorite Gleek’s (Brittany S. Pierce!) advice and made my Christmas list early and sent it on its way to the North Pole. But I know that even someone as prepared and as considerate as me (making it easy for my parents by adding what I wanted for Christmas to their Amazon shopping carts) will more than likely get stuck with a few bad Christmas gifts. It’s okay though, it’s a burden we all have to bear, so I’ll brave the post holiday madness and head to the return lines.

I just hope I don’t get anything quite as bad as these gifts.

10. Scented Candles. Not only do they more often than not smell like nothing more than a cheap imitation of what they’re supposed to smell like (Birthday cake? Sand castles? Ginger tea and honey?), but they’re also a bit of a fire hazard.

9. Useless gadgets. I’m sorry but I never have and I never will have any use for your vibrating slippers, your Bumpits, your BeDazzler or anything else that has AS SEEN ON TV stamped across the front of the box.

8. Socks. I don’t care if they are Christmas themed, personalized, or striped. I don’t care if they are toe socks, or fuzzy socks, or just plain, regular, everyday socks. They are not appropriate Christmas gifts. And I’m sick of people passing them off as though they are. Just because they come in lots of funky patterns doesn’t mean they make a good gift. End of discussion.

7. Anything from Bath and Body Works. I’m not even going to touch on the whole scented thing because that was already covered. But really, let’s think about this, when was the last time you used cucumber melon body splash? When was the last time you wanted to? Scented soaps and creams and antibacterial soaps that smell like a garden? My allergies act up just thinking about them. No, I won’t use the bath salts or those cute little themed baskets that just seem so perfect either.

6. Picture frames with a photo of the gift giver in them. First of all, the picture frame is almost always something ridiculous that you would never use and doesn’t match anything in your dorm. Second of all, you are not going to place a picture of this person next to your nightstand like you two are finally going steady or something. Moving on.

5. Anything that looks like you got it as a free sample. I’ve gotten these gifts before, and believe me I’ve been able to tell. Oddly enough, when you give someone who hardly ever wears makeup Clinique cover up it’s kind of a clue that you didn’t buy the gift for that person. Oh, hey, is that a complimentary tote you’ve got there on your arm?

4. Fruit cake. Yes, people still give these. And yes, the cliché is still very, very true. No one wants a fruit cake, even if it is homemade, because chances are, it’s not very good. As for a peanut butter cup cheesecake….that’s a dessert I can get behind.

3. Themed gifts. You know, it’s Christmas, so obviously any gift you give or get has to, in some way, be Christmas related.  Your Aunt Mary is going to get you a Santa sweater. And, oh wait, Aunt Sue got you candy cane socks to match. Now all you need is one of those headbands with the reindeer antlers and you’re all set. Thanks Dad!

2.  Homemade coupons. No, I don’t want your free hugs. Or your promise to do my homework. Because I don’t want to hug you and I wouldn’t trust you to do my homework for me. Ever. So if you’re going to get me a coupon, that coupon better be a gift card. And by gift card I mean one of those things that look like a credit card and works in a real establishment. (Like Starbucks.) That means you can’t use crayon to fill this one out either. Pity.

1. Self-help books. We have issues. We know. The holidays are not the time to remind us of them. So just buy us a drink and leave it at that, okay?

What are the worst gifts you’ve ever gotten?!

I really hate it when people ask me where I’m from. For me, it’s not so simple.

I was born in Quincy, Illinois. I moved to Abilene, Texas when I was eight years old when my mom was offered a huge promotion from the company she worked for. I moved to Austin, Texas for college when I was eighteen, which is where I am now. And then a year ago, the company my mom had worked for for 21 years laid her off (damn recession). My parents were born and raised in Wisconsin, and since I was the youngest of three kids and we were all out of the house, they decided to move back to there.

I can’t really blame my parents for wanting to move back; my mom was especially miserable here in Texas. She HATES hot weather so you can imagine how much she complained during, well, 80% of the year out here. And neither of my parents really had friends in Abilene. The one close friend my mom had relocated for her own job and then there was really no one left. Back in Illinois, I remember my parents having a bunch of friends over for their birthdays. But in Abilene there were no parties; just the family having a quiet dinner with cake.

My parents sacrificed all of that, though, because they both had great jobs and were giving myself and my siblings a good upbringing. But once we were all out of the house, I can see how bleak Abilene must have been for them. How lonely. So when my mom called me last August telling me that she’d been laid off, it wasn’t really a surprise that she followed that statement with, “Your father and I are going to move back home.”

But while I’m really happy that my parents were finally able to go home, it’s sort of left me without one.

There are tons of weekends were my friends will go home and I get insanely jealous. I would do anything to be able to go home and have my mom cook me dinner whenever I wanted. Or to spend a day just hanging out with my parents. Or just get away from campus for a little while. Basically, I miss them. A lot.  I haven’t seen my family since last November, and I’m not going to see them again until January.

It’s especially hard because I can’t see them on Thanksgiving or Christmas anymore – I just don’t have the money to fly across the country. I miss making these cut-out cookies with my dad every year around Christmas. It’s my great grandmother’s recipe and became my favorite tradition of the year. Last year, however, was the first year I made them all by myself. I remember pulling the first batch out of the oven and I just started bawling.

In some ways it’s flattering that my parents think that I’m old enough to live completely on my own, but in other ways I still feel like a little kid who’s lost her parents. I may be 21 paying my own rent and car payments, but I still feel like I need them around. I don’t really like facing the fact that I’m an adult.

I know I have to grow up sometime – it’s just happening a little faster than I would’ve liked.

Any of you CollegeCandy readers ever deal with this? How do you go home when you don’t have a home anymore?

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Ew Dane Cook

Whatever age you are, wherever you are in your life, hearing that your parents are getting divorced kinda rocks your world (not in a good way). I felt like my family was breaking. What’s worse is that I had no idea it was coming. I lived on campus at my school, which was a six-hour drive from my home. I talked to my parents often on the phone, but the kind of things that hint at divorce don’t really get translated during a bi-weekly chat. It was almost as if I was six-years-old again; too young to understand the situation, excluded from all the arguments.

The day I found out was one of the rare occasions when my mom and my sister came to visit me at school. They were there to pick me up and take me on a road trip to my Aunt’s house, just one hour away. I finished my classes, packed my bag, and watched movies with my friend until they arrived. I didn’t immediately know anything was wrong until I got in the car. The mood was tense, false…what was supposed to be a relaxing family weekend already felt uncomfortable and forced. Soon it was out – my parents were getting divorced.

I felt attacked. I felt like it was my fault. Why didn’t I see it coming? Most overwhelmingly, I felt helpless. There was nothing I could do – I didn’t live at home anymore and I didn’t even know the entire situation. My mom and dad could have been fighting for months and I wouldn’t have known. I felt like my entire family had been hiding this from me and I resented them all. As childish as that sounds, the feeling persisted for several months. I stopped calling home as frequently and my relationship with my mom in particular (who initiated the divorce) deteriorated to the point where I no longer shared anything with her. I was quietly furious and, since I had no way to vent my frustrations (either physically or verbally), my attitude kept getting worse.

After a while, I got tired of being angry. I saw how futile it was for me to be upset about something I couldn’t have prevented or even really guessed at. Maybe I was growing up or maybe through my own experiences, I realized that relationships sometimes just don’t work out. My parents live separately now and my mom has remarried. My sense of “home” has changed radically – I now call my grandparents’ house home and spend most of my holidays there.

Other than that, I can’t feel any big differences. I still live away from home (in fact, now I live farther away than ever) and I talk to each of my parents as often as possible. I guess if I don’t really think about it, things are the same as ever. The love is still there. My family somehow seems closer than ever because of our shared experience.

The big question is:  did my parent’s divorce overshadow the golden memories of my college years? Of course not. Home life and college life operate on two separate planes (at least for me) and nothing could make my time at university anything other than what it was:  pure awesomeness.

Anyone else out there deal with a divorce in college? How did you handle it?

I’ve been in California for nearly two months now, but everyone I run into asks the same question: “Are you going to move here permanently?” Those back in Georgia frequently ask me “Do you see yourself moving back home?” And of course, with the LSAT on my mind 24/7, the inevitable question of “Where do you want to go to law school?” comes up. Apparently all things post-grad rely on geography!

Where you go to law school matters a lot – especially for where you want to live. If you go to a school that isn’t nationally recognized, job perspectives outside of that region shrink. Am I spending all of my time thinking about law school in the context of location? No – there are more initial factors, but picking a future residence does have a major importance. But how daunting is that? Although it may be a little drastic to say, it really feels like I have to answer “Where do you want to live for the rest of your life?” right now at this very second.

So, the plan was to move out here – get my post-grad life together, and then figure out where to go after I worked hard enough to make my plans happen. Since I’ve been here, a lot of people assume this is where I plan to reside forever. Do I want to end up in Orange County or Southern California forever? Honestly, I don’t know if it’s for me. While California is gorgeous, I still don’t feel like I can call this place home. I haven’t had my “ah-ha” moment of residential happiness.

But then again, I can’t help but think that if my boyfriend lived out here with me, would I feel differently? Chances are pretty likely that I would. What if my sister lived out here? I think I’d have a different attitude. Maybe the idea of a place to call home is all perspective, but even though I’m living with my dad – it just feels like I can’t get too comfortable out here on the Golden Coast (but then again, can anyone get too comfortable when they have logic games on their minds all day?).

I am a believer that where you live has a huge impact on who you are, who you will become in the future, and your overall happiness. According to The Happiness Project, one major happiness killer is “living somewhere that does not let you be you” and as every day passes, I feel like I need to figure the answer to where I will be happiest, location wise. Am I getting too ahead of myself in figuring out where I possibly want to live as a future cat lady?

Maybe I’ll just move to South Africa. My younger sister took off and lives there now – it works for her, so maybe I should do it too. I could always close my eyes and pick a random spot on a map. And of course, there is the Elizabeth Gilbert approach. Why not  Eat, Pray, Love my way across the United States – and maybe even the world – until I feel confident I can find the perfect place to spend what could be the rest of my life?

Moving is an inevitable part of life. I moved across the country when my parents divorced. I left home for a college seven hours away in Virgina. I lived in New York City by myself for an entire summer. I lived in London. Hell, I moved dorm rooms more than three times my freshman year. I know that I won’t stay in the same place forever, so maybe I shouldn’t think too much into it right now.

However, if anything my post-grad life has taught me it’s not to make plans, so maybe geographically speaking, the future of where I live and work and rejoice in happiness will be out of my control. And that’s the scariest thing of all.

Ah, summer. There’s something about this time of year that brings back memories of the beach, county fairs, baseball, and, of course, family vacations.  Although at times, my family drove me crazy on those trips and I’d much rather have been anywhere else than with them, there are still tons of great memories of all those long drives to see relatives, camping trips, and visits to amusement parks that filled my summer vacations growing up.

So in honor of both summer (which officially starts next Monday) and Father’s Day this Sunday, I give you: Dads on Vacation.

Dads on Vacation is a hilarious Tumblr blog that features (you guessed it) photos of readers’ dads on vacation.  The concept is just as brilliant as it is simple, and you won’t be able to help smiling when you get a look at all the pictures.  There’s plenty of examples of classic “Dad style” that makes me nostalgic for my own dad’s vacation outfits: the high white socks with either sneakers or sandals, short shorts, the wide-brimmed straw hat, canteen strapped around the waist for hikes, and the inevitable Hawaiian-print shirt for more “dressy” occasions.

Do yourself a favor and check out Dads on Vacation–not only will it make you smile, but it’s also a great way to celebrate both Father’s Day and Summer!