With winter break right around the corner, I know we are all in a state of mind of complete happiness (minus the fact that we have finals next week). However, for the most part, we are all excited about taking a two week break from school along with all of the fun holiday activities we can take part in: Christmas decorating, cookies, looking at lights, and any other holiday activity you can think of. To add to the joy of winter break—college kids are back. If you have a college sibling either already in town or almost home for winter break, it is definitely something very exciting to prepare for.

As college siblings come back for the break, most parents do have a tendency to somehow treat them as if they just came back from a four year trip across the other side of the world. For example, I recently caught my mom deep cleaning the house in order to “prepare” for my siblings coming home (my siblings don’t come home until next week). When I asked her why she was cleaning a week in advance she completely ignored my question and told me to go clean my room so “it looks nice” when my sister comes home. For some reason it seems as if my mother thinks they’re vacationing at a hotel rather than just coming back to the house they lived in for practically their whole childhood.

Obviously the house feels empty without the older siblings there, so it is always the best when you finally get to see them after a while, especially if you are extremely close with them. Charlotte Jordan ’23 is always counting down the days until her older sister finally comes back from college for winter break: “When my sister comes back I cannot wait because that means we can go on our late night ice cream runs. Even though it’s something so simple, I do not get to do this with her as often anymore, so I try to enjoy every moment of it.”

Besides the family feeling complete by having everyone back home, many siblings also get excited for the many traditions or the time they spend together with each other. Sage Baumgartner ’24 and Sonoma Baumgartner ’24 love spending time with their brother, and Servite alum, Isaiah Baumgartner ’22. Sage shares, “When my brother was back for Thanksgiving break, we went to a pumpkin patch together, but now that it is Christmas time, I can’t wait to do some holiday activities with my brother and Sonoma as well. I’m glad I have Sonoma, but the family does not feel complete without Isaiah there.”

Most of the time, many siblings end up becoming an only child once their older sibling goes away for college. Sarah Quiros ’24, sister of alumn, Grace Quiros ’21, loves when her sister comes home because it means she does not have to be the only child for the next couple of weeks. Sarah shares, “I have a bunny named Panini that keeps me company when my sister isn’t home, but it’s nice to have some human interaction. I am super close with my sister, and we laugh at pretty much anything and everything for some reason so it’s always nice to have that back. Winter break is definitely the best time of year because that means my best friend, my sister, is back home.”

Although it is always sad when your siblings have to go back to college, it is important to cherish every moment when they are back home. Keeping up with family traditions, and hanging out with your sibling after not seeing them for awhile is one of the best feelings ever. As you get older, you realize that cherishing these moments with your siblings is crucial because time will fly by. When your siblings are home for college, make every moment count because in just a few weeks, they’ll be on an airplane heading back to their college town.