Returning to your parent’s house after you’ve been away at school never happens quite as easily as it should. Whether Grand Valley State University plays a home football game, or your friend turns 21, there is always an excuse as to why you opted against the three-hour car ride home and decided to stay at school for the weekend.

But, when you finally do return home, boy, is it relaxing.

If you asked me what I did over the break I wouldn’t have much to tell you. I watched copious amounts of football, I hung out with my friends and family and it wouldn’t have been Thanksgiving break if I didn’t eat a lot of food. While you might say my break was uneventful, I would say it was everything I needed.

Let’s first talk about football. I know, I talk about football a lot, but this time ‘football’ doesn’t actually have to be ‘football’. For me, football is soul food. It’s good for me. But for you, ‘watching football’ could very well be listening to music.

Maybe while you were home you had the chance to listen to three new albums that you couldn’t find the time to listen to at school. Maybe in lieu of your 8 a.m. lecture, you replaced that hour with a run around your neighborhood. Whatever you found yourself doing over break is what being home, or at least being without the constraints of school, is all about.

Next up is friends and family. I would never leave school if it wasn’t for the friends and family I had in my hometown. Obviously, the most important thing you can do together is spend time with those you don’t get to see during the hustle and bustle of the semester.

Lastly, we will talk about food. I’m sure everyone had a great Thanksgiving dinner, but eating fresh meals from my mother’s kitchen has a special place in my heart. I think it’s not so much the fact that I love my mom’s cooking, but rather the fact that I hate my own so much.

While I do love it at GVSU, I can’t help but thoroughly enjoy my time home. It is a period of time to binge-watch football, spend time with friends and family, and overindulge in second helpings of home-cooked food. And it couldn’t have come at a better time during the semester.