After getting a little taste of the holiday season during Thanksgiving break, students rush through finals to go back home. Holidays are hard times for our wallets, our families, and ourselves.
Stress levels go through the roof: Making sure each family member gets the right gift with personal meaning, but also staying on budget, making sure certain things aren’t brought up at family get-togethers and not getting carried away with new year’s resolutions that will probably be lost within a month.
Many students are ecstatic to go home and see their family. They might have a really close relationship with their siblings, or they might go home to see their pets, or maybe they just like the comfort of their home.
This season is full of cheer, holly, and awkwardness. Giving someone a gift they already got or one that they aren’t thrilled about can make a very uncomfortable situation. Then at the dinner table getting told that having a job, an internship, and taking classes isn’t enough to make them proud. Many students are faced with families that do not understand what they are going through in their “school life” and it makes going home dreadful.
Holidays are also a time for appreciation for families, as sometimes the distance helps us remember the value of having loved ones to come back to. With some students not having seen their extended families for over 6 years, this season can be a time for welcoming in old friends, as well as cousins, aunts, and uncles.
Tensions also rise with seeing family members, as growing up can affect the attitude that parents give to their children. While some might treat their child with respect, some parents might not approve of the decisions their newborn adult might make. This makes interactions awkward as well as difficult, especially with such a long break underway.
With becoming an adult, some students find a extreme similarity with their parents, as they now represent the same values as their parents. This can help the holidays become a relaxing time, enjoying each other’s company, and having fun playing games as well as having family traditions.
In all going home for break can be a rollercoaster of stress and excitement. After this finals week students should try to go home and relax. Be thankful for the people that are sitting next to them in the car, and thankful for whatever is underneath the wrapping paper. Getting through these hectic holidays means dealing with crazy family members, stressful situations and listening to the same three christmas songs on replay, but we know that KSC students are hard to break so don’t give in during this one!
