Back to School Blues

One of the hardest days to go back to school is the day after Thanksgiving break. Of course, it's harder after Christmas break and also after summer vacation, but coming back after Thanksgiving is pretty difficult.
For me, the break was the first time since summer that I have been home for more than a weekend. I have been grateful for all the weekends I got to go home or see my family but having nine days with them was a true blessing. Among the many things I did over the break, here are just a few: going to an organic all-peanut-butter-and-jelly-sandwich place (they have all kinds of different nut butters and jellies so it's never boring), getting my Starbucks fix twice, running some errands, watching Fantasia 2000, baking all kinds of Thanksgiving treats, game nights, getting yummy gelato and enjoying a Pei Wei dinner on my last night at home. Pretty much everything I did involved my family, and I'm so thankful to have such a great one.
Of course, that just makes it that much harder to go back to Fort Collins (2 1/2 hours away) and face school again. Really, who wants to go back to school when it already feels like the holiday season is in full swing? I'm refusing to listen to any music but Christmas music (on my iPod and streaming a station from back in the Springs that's been playing the stuff since Halloween!). I brought a mini Christmas tree back to my dorm that's all decked-out in ornaments that match my bedding. I have quite a few food items that are holiday-related, from the chocolate peppermint soy milk to an Iced Gingerbread Clif bar. There's a chill in the air, and despite the lack of snow on the ground, it still feels like winter. Basically, I'm just ready for it to be December 18, the first full day of my Christmas break. The best part is, it lasts exactly a month! So I'm extremely anxious for that, I'm ready for classes to be over and to finish my final exams. After my last two classes today, there are only 9 more school days, which doesn't seem like a lot, but if you've ever lived through those last few weeks before Christmas, you'll know the feeling.
So I'm counting down the days (and maybe the hours, too) until I can get out of the dorms, away from my roommate and go home. Because to me, it doesn't seem like the Christmas season til I'm spending it with my family.