STAY HOME – LOLA MULLIN

As the holidays are just around the corner, we are all getting excited for Christmas and the New Year. For students, Christmas is known as the time they get two weeks off to relax. Some decide to travel while others stay home, which is the superior option.

For starters, staying home for Christmas break offers extra time for favorite holiday activities. Some of my favorite things to do are, going to Newfields and seeing the Christmas lights, and going to the Christkendlmarkt in Carmel. Additionally, Waking up on Christmas Day in your house with your family has got to be one of the best feelings, and the definition of “home sweet home”.

Traveling can be stressful, especially when you go to a new place you haven’t been before. Besides, staying home also gives you time to rest and let your body catch up with you, while if you are traveling you are in a “go go go” mindset. Lastly, having family traditions bond people closer together, and creating memories with family is extremely important.

It is for these reasons and more that I am staying home for the holidays!

TRAVEL – ERIN EMMICK

When I think of Christmas, I immediately think of my family, snow, and the 16 hour car ride to Colorado. For as long as I can remember, we’ve been making the drive out west to see my dad’s side of the family.

My dad’s two brothers and his parents all live in Arizona, so we don’t get very many chances to see them. Christmas at my grandparent’s house in Colorado each year is usually the only time I get to see that side of my family, so travel over the holidays is always a given for me. Sometimes it does feel hectic, as some years we leave the day after Christmas, and others we leave on Christmas Day. Last year was the first year we didn’t celebrate Christmas on December 25, since we wanted to get a head start on the drive that morning. Instead, my family celebrated it on December 24. I was mildly disappointed to not celebrate Christmas on the actual day, but less so in knowing that Christmas is really about being with family, and I was going to see my family. 

Christmas without travel and Colorado and the excruciating car ride isn’t Christmas to me at all. I’m not saying that travel is what makes Christmas, but knowing that travel is what’s getting me to my family that I usually only see once a year. Colorado feels like home to me during Christmas, and like they say, “there’s no place like home for the holidays.”