Storm

All I Want For Christmas…

Is to spend my holidays with my friends and family back home, and at the same time with my friends in Utrecht!

With Christmas and New Year's Eve approaching it is time to decide: will you spend your holidays with your family in your hometown, or are you celebrating with your friends in the town you study? 

Most of us, from the earliest moments of our lives, associating the Christmas holidays with family. Fun times with a lot of games, good conversations, food and presents, for our Dutchies ‘Sinterklaasavond’ is also added into the equation; December equals family time! 

However, when we start studying and move out of the house we surround ourselves with an entirely different group of friends who, after enough time, also start to feel like family. So with the holidays coming up the important question of where we will be spending Christmas time and New Year's Eve is on the minds of many. Will I spend it with my family and my ‘vvvtjes’ (friends from before) or am I staying in Utrecht and celebrating with my new friends?

Whatever decision you make will have up- and downsides. Just think of the amazing (vegan of course ;)) Christmas meal your mother will cook, the funny (drunk) stories of that one uncle, or that one Christmas party you and your friends have been visiting since you were 15. But then again you of course wouldn’t want to miss out on great moments with the girls or guys you’ve been having so much fun with here in Utrecht or lose the opportunity of spending such special times with new friends, getting to know each other even better!

Except for the internationals, who will most likely spend the entire holiday in Utrecht ór in their hometown, what many end up doing and is a very nice compromise, is a combination of the two. Think of New Year's Eve at home-home, and Christmas in Utrecht. Or to pick an alternative date with your people in Utrecht, and spent the actual date at home. This is a great option, but, while you are traveling back and forth and the many changes of setting, try to not forget what the holidays are about; spending time with the ones we love and having a good time! 

At the end of the day we also need to realise that picking a place to spend the holidays is a luxury problem. How lucky are we to have multiple places where we feel at home, and multiple people we are comfortable enough with to spend such fun and intimate times? 

Whatever you choose to do for Christmas and New Years Eve this year, make sure to enjoy it to the fullest and take a moment to appreciate the people you are with. After all, it’s the most wonderful time of the year!