You Should Go Home for the Holidays...Or Any Day!

Getting a Ride

I don’t have a car in the city. It would just be a pain to find parking, deal with the snow, and pay for all the expenses. Luckily, I have the most fabulous dad who is always willing to come pick me up and drive me back. Without complaining at all. And if he can’t do it, my mom is always willing as well.

So it would be kind of silly of me not to go home, right? And if for some reason I can’t get a ride back, there’s always a train that goes right from Boston straight to my town. So, no excuses.

Sleeping in Your Childhood Bedroom

There’s something about your childhood bedroom. Maybe it’s been completely turned into a guest room or maybe it looks exactly like you left it when you moved out. Either way, it’s the room you grew up in. My bedroom is somewhere in between. Parts of it remain completely the same from when I was growing up, but a lot of it has been cleaned up and made guest-ready (AKA my backstreet boys pictures have all been removed).

Waking up in the room that you grew up in is totally comforting and I always seem to get the best night’s sleep when I’m in my childhood bedroom. Luckily, I’ve always had a double bed because I’m not sure I could be quite as happy if I had to go to a twin bed.

Taking a Bath

Sure, most of us probably have bathtubs in our apartments. Perfectly fine ones too. But then why do we never take baths? For me, there’s something kind of gross about taking a bath in a bathtub in the apartment that you rent. Who knows who has been in it before you! Not to mention, your roommate who probably isn’t a family member, is in there every day too. There’s just something kind of icky about it. Maybe you don’t clean it as often as you should?

So I like to go home and take a bath in the bathtub at my parents’ house. It’s always clean and mom always has all the bath products and candles needed to let you enjoy a relaxing experience.

Not Having to Shower

On the flip side, you don’t have to go anywhere near the bathtub if you don’t want to. Sometimes when I go to my parents’ house, I barely shower at all because, well, they’re my parents and they have to love me whether I’m dirty or not. My friends don’t really have to. And I probably wouldn’t have any friends if I chose to refrain from showering for a couple days. Yay unconditional love.

Don't Have to Get Dressed

Along the same lines of not having to shower, you also aren’t required to take your pajamas off when you’re at your parents’ house. I know that I keep mine on for days at a time. Even when I do take a shower, I sometimes just put my pajamas right back on when I get out. If you can’t be comfortable in the house where your parents live, where can you be comfortable? Take full advantage of this!

Coffee Delivery

What? OK, so maybe your parents don’t do this. Maybe I’m just lucky. But whenever I’m home, I barely have to leave my bed to get a cup of coffee. My mom always seems to be at my door, mug of steaming and strong coffee ready to help me wake up.

This is one of those extras that just makes being at their house so very nice. Sure I know how to make my own cup of coffee, but having it delivered to my room is an amazing luxury. Even if your parents don’t do delivery, just having it hot and ready as you wake up is more than good enough.

Eating Good Food

I’ll admit, sometimes I tend to skimp on the meals when I’m in my apartment. I love cooking, but when I’m all alone and have to trek down to the grocery store (an entire 3 minutes away), I may just settle for whatever happens to be in my fridge.

But whenever I go to my parents’, we have actual sit-down family dinners. And they feed me. Good food! Amazing food! It kind of makes me miss my high school days of living at home and eating good home-cooked meals every night.

Being Loved

There is lots of love in my family, so if I’m ever feeling lonely or sad at my apartment in the city, I can simply go home and feel loved again. Parents are the only people who really have to love you, so take in as much of it as you can.

Being Alone

But on the other hand, I can also go home and just be alone when I want to. Sometimes it’s just nice to get away from the hustle and bustle of the city and all the commitments that exist there. I don’t have to see anyone; in fact, I usually have absolutely no plans at all. And I can sit in my room and read for hours if I want to.

My parents give me all the love they need, but they also know when to leave me alone and let me relax. So, if you’re looking for a little getaway from your usual commitments, take a little vacation to your family’s house.

Doing Laundry

Every time I go home I bring laundry. I know, I’m not in college anymore and I’m perfectly capable of doing laundry on my own. But it’s such a pain to lug my laundry down to the basement of my apartment building. And find quarters to pay for it. And find places to hang my drying clothes.

Half the time the machines stop before they’re supposed to (and you need to kick them a few times) and my laundry just never smells as good as it does when I do it at home.

So, I bring my laundry to my parents’ house. And though their laundry room isn’t quite as awesome as the one pictured above, it’s much better than my apartment basement. And my parents don’t make me pay with quarters. And, sometimes my mom even irons my pillow cases for me. Can’t beat that.

Going Grocery Shopping

First of all, grocery stores are much more expensive in the city than they are in the suburbs. So, if you live in a city, going home can mean the opportunity to do some shopping at a bit of a cheaper price. And that’s reason enough.

But also, sometimes if you’re lucky, your parents might buy your groceries for you. They want to make sure you’re eating healthy and they know you can’t always afford the food you need to be nutritious.

Shopping in the Pantry

Even if your parents don’t take you grocery shopping or the local grocery store is no cheaper than the one you live by, there’s always the opportunity to go shopping in their pantry.

Whenever I go visit my parents, they are more than generous about letting me take anything in their pantry, cupboards, and fridge. I always leave their house wih my hands full. Whether it’s food or paper products, they take excellent care of me.