Focus on the wrapping and she'll forget to ask about those exams...

The most contact you’ve had with your family over the last four months is the weekly phone call where you tell them your grades are fine, you’re eating well, you need some money and you miss them too.

So now that you’re home for about three weeks, it can be a little hard to get back into the swing of waking up to a “good morning honey!” every day. Especially when that comes before 9 a.m.

All of us have that inner freakout moment when our parents tell us to do the dishes or take out the trash, or when we let a profanity slip the scolding makes us want to rip our hair out. “I live on my own over half the year! How can I be grounded?!”

But no matter how much of an adjustment it is, we’re all happy to be back home, eating mom’s cooking, sleeping in our own beds and, yes, spending a little quality time with the family.

Everyone’s family is different; some of us are super close, others not so much. Either way, we can all avoid awkward conversations about our drunken Facebook photos by getting the whole family involved in some holiday activities. With this being my fourth (and final…yes, I’m freaking out) winter break at home, I’ve developed a handful of traditions that are perfect for reconnecting and spending quality time with your family, without the awkward, “Have you gotten your grades yet?” conversation. Read More »

Whoa. That's TUBA TIM?!

For most of us the semester has come to an end and finals are right around the corner. After a week of sleeping two hours a night and living on Red Bulls and delivery food, we will all be sprinting home to nurse our under eye circles with homemade food and a queen-size bed.

Of course you will speed to your best friend’s doorstep the minute you’re in town and maul her with hugs and gossip. But you’ll need to catch up on your sleep (which may take the entire first week) before you’ll be ready to venture out into the town you once called home and reconnect with old high school buddies.

You might see them at a party, maybe at the mall, hopefully in the car next to you at the stoplight so you can make a quick getaway, but be prepared. Here are seven people from high school you will undoubtedly be running into over break.

1. The Girl Who Peaked in High School
She was hot sh*t and she knew it. She had all the football players drooling over her every move and all the girls wanted to be her. She owned the hallway with her posse trailing behind, and when she started wearing Ugg boots, every other girl in the school was wearing them come Monday. And then everyone else left town to go to college and she….didn’t. Now she’s living with the parentals and serving you dinner when you head out to your favorite restaurant with the family. Her hair isn’t quite as shiny, her face doesn’t look quite as beautiful and you awkwardly pretend not to know her as you chow down on that burger. Read More »

So you’ve grown up, moved out, and now you’re living on your own. Still, whenever anybody asks where you’re from, you proudly state the place where you grew up instead of your current address. And no matter how much you love your college experience, there is still a comfortable feeling associated with returning home.

Your old bed.

Your old couch.

Your mom’s cooking. Mmmm.

However, no matter how long since you’ve left home, goin’ back never feels the same. Something changes; it may be a tangible difference or a change in emotion, but it’s different just the same.

When I returned home for the first time for Thanksgiving of my freshman year, I discovered the intensity of my mom’s home improvement kick. I drove away from a white house in September and pulled up to a blue one in November. My dingy twin bed was now a queen, complete with a handcrafted quilt and a wool blanket (a welcome change, don’t get me wrong). The pictures of my friends and I were out of site, and my shelves were now ridden with family photos and potpourri.

My room was no longer my room and it just felt weird.

However, there were also changes that run much deeper than my mother’s new home makeover. What would you do if you came home and the family you thought you had was completely different? This happened for me two years after I left for college. My dad took me out to dinner this past summer and told me that he and my mother were separating. The next day, he moved out. I had never lived in that house without him, and having to pick up the phone to talk to him just felt wrong. Read More »