Anticipation for Winter Break brings joy and despair

To say I'm not excited that Winter Break is right around the corner would be a lie. No clever clich?© needed, it would just be a total, lie.

But then come to think of it, there are a lot of downsides to be­ing back home again.

For starters, now that freshman year is well in the past, things are starting to get awkward with some of my friends from home. Not too awkward because, naturally, their numbers are dwindling as time has passed, but still everyone was barely able to fake interest last year with how school was when it was new and exciting - how are they going to survive the con­versation this year when it is old news? I love my family dearly, but I also haven't lived with them for the past four months. Over a long weekend or short break like Thanks­giving, I usually get away with obtaining "house guest" sta­tus. That certainly does not fly for a month!

After a week back, not only is my laun­dry no longer getting done for me, but somehow, I am downstairs ironing for everyone before we head to Christmas Mass.

The most dreaded part of winter break, smack dab in the middle, is the most overhyped holiday of the season, New Year's Eve. This night always calls for a lot of commotion about what we will do, where we will go and who will go. Somehow, although everyone starts discussing it their first day back from school, the plans don't fall together until Dec. 30 and it is celebrated in a basement some­where. Fantastic. Fantastic that it marks the end of the holiday sea­son that is.

After New Year's, the second part of the break commences and intense boredom sinks in. The rest of the world has returned to nor­malcy but we college students are left alone in the house all day.

All in all, I am excited to go home, spend time with my family and some good friends that have stood the test of time. I am just going to have to remember my theory that calories don't count when you're home may work for a weekend, but will have brutal re­percussions after a month.

Erin Williams is a sophomore journalism major from Wilming­ton, Del. Erin can be reached at erin.williams@student.shu.edu.