Halloween is over and that means cue the holiday music, count your thanks and get ready for the holidays! Yup, holiday season is here and its wave of happiness and joy is upon us, or maybe not. For some college students, the holiday season can be hard. Some may not be able to be go home and see their family, and that can be pretty hard on a student living on their own. Before coming to college, I had no idea what that feeling was like, and now, I may not even see my own family this Christmas and it is devastating to me. I understand how hard it can be for some students and I would hope they don’t end up alone during the holidays if they cannot go home. So I wanted to share some ways to beat the holiday blues.
See what your college or university is doing for Thanksgiving. If you’re not going to be home for Thanksgiving, see what your college is doing for students. Here at ASU, at least for West Campus Barrett students, Dean Ramsey is hosting Thanksgiving dinner at his house for students who are “orphaned”. I’m sure the dining hall also has something planned for Thanksgiving, ask your CA’s!
Find some people staying home for winter break as well and have a mini-holiday. More people stay over winter break than I imagined, I was surprised. Walk around your resident hall or go on social media and see who is staying for winter break. Find someone who shares the same holiday beliefs as you and have a mini-holiday with them! It’s a good way to make friends and make sure you have someone to spend time with during the holidays.
FaceTime/Skype your family during holiday shenanigans. Technology is really a great thing nowadays. It isn’t the same as being there but you will still get to see your family and see what is going on even though you’re away.
The holidays can be a rough time if you’re alone. My biggest tip to fight the holiday blues is to find people to spend time with during winter break. No one should spend the holidays alone, happy holidays!