Surviving Holiday Break
Graphic By:

Hey, freshmen! You all packed? Are you ready to go home? Can't wait to go home for the holidays, can you? It's going to be great isn't it?! Wrong!! Think about it: you've been at school for four months. Four months of staying up until all hours, drinking, running around screaming at the top of your lungs, coming and going as you damn well please, making your own decisions, and basically being as free as you will ever be in your entire life. Do you honestly think you can go home and keep that up? Don't be silly. That's why I'm here. Here are a few simple tips to keep you as close to sane as possible while at home.

  • Get a job! It gives you an excuse to stay out of the house. "Darn mom, can't scoop the litter box, I'll be late for work!!" Not only will having a job get you out of constant family contact, you'll have a little extra cash for books next semester or just to spend.
  • Spend time with friends. Catch up with your old crew. Again, it gets you out of the house and you get to spend time with the other group of people back home who mean something to you.
  • Sit down with Mom and Dad when you get home and discuss your boundaries. Nothing ruins the holidays like having a last minute discussion about curfew. You may be used to just getting up and going somewhere but Mom and Dad aren't. Talk to them. Hopefully you can talk it over and come to a reasonable decision.
  • Don't reveal any body modifications at the dinner table. Purposely or accidentally, this is never a good idea. Especially if you come from a conservative family. Save it for a nice calm time when there is no cutlery in sight.
  • Spend some time with your family. Be sure they know you still love them, care about them, and that they are still a big part of your life. Just be sure to leave before it gets to be too much.
  • Finally, on a more serious note, I'm begging you: please don't drink and drive. I know you must be tired of hearing it. But around the holidays, people throw caution out the window along with their beer cans, and the results can get ugly. Remember, death never takes a holiday, ever.

Hopefully these tips will get you through the holidays, and when you get back you can return to these reckless, carefree adventures. Have a happy and safe holiday season!


What do you think?
Leave your comments below.
Name:     E-Mail:

 Year:      Major:

Comments:

By clicking on "Submit," you assert that you are who you represent to be and your comments abide by section 20 of Radford's Student Handbook (for RU students), and by the Virginia State and Federal laws including but not limited to libel, copyright law, and invasion of privacy. The comments posted on this site are not necessarily representative of the views of Radford University, its administration, faculty, staff or all of its students. For more information, read our policy on feedback fora.

Name: PeeR
Comments:
It's a bit late Chris, but I sure could use a code monkey at the office. I've got four billion projects and need someone to do the simple cut-n-paste kind of stuff. I plan to teach our new receptionist HTML so she can help with the overflowing inbox.

Name: Amanda
Comments:
I'm sorry Nicole...maybe you'll have luck or try calling them so they know you are interested. Chris...I'm not from up that way...maybe you could look online at your areas employment comission.

Name: Chris
Year: junior
Comments:
Any suggestions on where to find one of those temp agencies near northern virginia?

Name: Nicole
Year: senior
Major: mstd
Comments:
1. I applied for holiday jobs over Thanksgiving break (for a winter job), and no one has called me yet!:( 2. All of my friends have either graduated from college/gotten married, or gone to law or med school.

Name: april
Comments:
I guess I got lucky with my parents. For me being home is just like being at school. Home is much more boring, but you should expect that being that home is Blue Goose and school is Knoxville. My parents are cool though. I have no rules. I go when I want, come back when I want, do what I want. They don't care! It's great. :)

Name: rachel
Comments:
i know by now, most of you are probably low on funds. temp services are a great place to work over breaks. just made a quick call and you will have a job lined up for as much of the break as you want to work. not only will you come back to RU with some money, it is a great way to get out of the house when your little sister starts to annoy you.

Name: Jenn
Comments:
Every time I go home for a break my parents get upset over the fact that I don't go to bed till 2am and sleep in till noon. That's normal for me. I won't get to do this very much longer so I have to take advantage of the last few months I have before I go out into the "Real World" and must wake up at 6am everyday.

Name: Amanda
Comments:
Very much so...but some people don't get off so easy. Some families are a little more touchy about the whole thing.

Name: Brian Korte
Comments:
I revealed my tattoo to my entire family on Christmas Eve after we ate. I was counting on good timing with the holdiay forgiveness thing and all. And, since everyone had eaten well, no one cared too much one way or the other. It was slick, if I do say so myself.

Name: Amanda
Comments:
Precisely

Name: Poo Burns
Comments:
Body modifications, so if I got my "Hee Haw" AND my "Hoo-Hoo" pierced I shouldn't let on at the dinner table?