This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at City London chapter.
So here you are, at home. It’s what you’ve been waiting for for three months: the Christmas Holidays, or better, a time to see all the people you missed and to be terribly lazy. But there are some reasons why you might want to reconsider going home for Christmas. Here’s my top five:
- 1) The nomad feeling of not belonging anywhere: Before you start saying: “But that’s the point of travelling!”, here’s what I mean. If for you, like for me, university is in another country, when you start to settle down in London it’s already time to go back home. I went away from London in a very sad mood because I knew I’d miss everyone I met in there. Now I’m home and about to leave, I will be crying again because I’ll miss everyone in here. Stupid, you might think. But that’s who I am. I hate goodbyes, even if they’re temporary.
- 2) Overwhelming parents: I am a very independent person. I loved living on my own. It’s not that I don’t love my parents: I could almost say that we’re best friends. It’s just that it’s really difficult to get used to being treated as a child AGAIN. No more going home terribly late because as soon as you set your foot out the door your family will pronounce the threatening: “DON’T BE LATE!” No more silence and privacy: if you’re feeling down, you have to expect your parents to say:”What’s the matter? Do you want to talk about it?”. Er… NO!
- 3) Gaining weight: The so-wanted laziness of the Christmas holidays brings about a major issue: fighting NOT to gain weight. With Italian Christmas lunches and dinners, that’s basically impossible. Especially if you have your mum cooking all the time.
- 4) Your past lurking behind you: You might not have skeletons in your closet back home, but there will always be someone you don’t really want to see again. Be it an ex, an annoying acquaintance or an embarrassing relative, sometimes going home doesn’t mean seeing everyone you like. Your past life, your “non-uni” life is always there, and it might be painful to get back to it.
- 5) Fitting everything into your luggage… Again: Yep. Not only you have to bring back the huge amount of stuff you brought home, but you have to add your Christmas presents to that. And your mum’s food. And, if you’re unlucky, you’ll have to carry all that to the airport alone.
As you might have noticed, I’m being really grumpy right now. Obviously, I don’t regret going back home for the holidays: seeing the people you love is absolutely priceless. However, what I’m saying is: “If you DIDN’T go home for the holidays… Well… You’ve spared yourself these very annoying things.”