Not Quite Moved Out

Heading off to college is a strange experience. When you come home for your first Christmas break, it feels as though you never left. You slip right back into the same routines, reconnect with the same friends, and it all feels like a reunion after a long sleepover that everyone scattered from. But as the years go by, you start to realize that these long breaks with your family are winding down. You now look forward to a girls weekend trip, or the ultimate AirBnB with your friends for Spring Break- busy making new memories and traditions to pass on to your kids one day. It's strange to think that you're spending more time with people you've chosen to be around than with the family you've spent the first two decades of your life with.

I’m writing this now, sitting in my childhood bedroom, putting off packing for the trip back to college tomorrow. And it hit me— I really do enjoy the quiet dinners with my parents, the trips to the grocery store together, and watching the same four movies over and over just to quote every line. The bittersweet part is knowing that these moments are growing fewer and fewer. While it’s exciting to think about the next chapter of my life just a few semesters away, I realize how important it is to savor these last bits of my childhood while I can.

So, whether you’re in high school, a freshman in college, getting ready to graduate, or no longer spending those “dreaded” holiday weeks at home, take a moment to appreciate what you have. Pay attention to the small things your parents do to make you happy. The more you notice, the more you’ll realize they’re the ones holding all the magic in their hands, with just a twinkle in their eyes. As you wrap up the holiday season, be extra bright, extra smiley, and extra thankful—these moments really do pass by faster than you think.