December at York has its own kind of magic: Fairy lights strung across the colleges, late-night library sessions fuelled by mince pies from the local Nisa, and the gentle hum of students counting down the days until they head home for Christmas. For many, it’s one of the most bittersweet times of the academic year.
For me, I’m reflecting about the year that is coming to an end, and I am also looking forward to the new year of opportunity that is approaching. Time passing so fast at uni makes me nostalgic about all of the things I have experienced when I’m away from home.
The festive spirit in the city
York does Christmas well. The lights from the Christmas market in the city centre glow against the medieval backdrop – The Minster looks like something straight out of a festive postcard, even the geese on campus seem jollier (or maybe that’s just hopeful).
There’s a unique consensus among students in these final weeks of lectures and uni living: everyone is tired, stressed, and a bit delirious – but excited for a change. College and Houses with your friends turn into Christmas Grottos: Secret Santas, group roast dinners, Mariah Carey playing from someone’s speaker at pres. It’s chaotic, but it’s your home away from home.
The heaviness of Christmas nostalgia
No matter how old you get, there’s something deeply comforting about being home for Christmas. The scent of pigs in blankets everywhere, candles burning in the living room, you and your siblings insist on putting the tree up too early, your childhood decorations resurfacing from the attic, the same festive films you’ve watched every year – these rituals feel like a warm hug after a long term away at university.
Leaving the independence of uni to return to your childhood bedroom can feel strange, almost like stepping back in time. But after ten weeks of deadlines, Wednesday societies, late-night studying, Facetime calls to friends and family, and battling against the wind on the walk to Campus West, the nostalgia hits in the best way.
The bittersweetness of leaving friends behind
One of the hardest parts about leaving for the holiday break is saying goodbye to the people you’ve spent every day with since September. At uni, friends aren’t just friends , they’re the people you cook with, study with, procrastinate with, cry with, and laugh uncontrollably at 2am over nothing.
Tensions may have been arising between everyone from acknowledging that you haven’t had a mental break away from socialising in a long time, but you have to make the most of it while you’re all together. Ultimately that is what I’m most grateful for and I always will be, no matter the changes that come along the way.
Then suddenly, you scatter across the country (or the world) for nearly two months. The group chats aren’t active everyday, you send jokes and updates, but it’s not the same as sitting in a freezing house or college halls with everyone wrapped in blankets complaining about heating.
The looming January exams
Just when you settle into your festive peace at home, the reminder hits: January exams.
Most York students know the feeling of trying to revise in the Christmas break, knowing that exams are awaiting for you in the new year. Going home offers comfort, but it also comes with distraction. Balancing the warmth of the season with the reality of upcoming assessments can be a challenge, and the guilt of “not doing enough revision” is practically a Christmas tradition at this point.
Growing up one term at a time
Returning home after a term at uni always reveals how much you’ve changed. You might notice how independent you’ve become, how your routines differ from your life before York and how your perspectives have shifted.
Growing up happens gradually when you’re away from home and you learn naturally how to manage your own shopping, navigate deadlines, cook your own meals, survive freshers’ flu (every time it comes). When you go home, those changes become visible – for you and for your family.
Christmas for me will always represent happiness and connecting with people. My first Christmasses are as special as my most recent ones: I now love reconnecting with everyone and discussing how things are at uni and catching up on life back at home.
Driving home for Christmas
You’re heading home to rest, to reconnect, and to recharge. And when January comes around, York will be waiting for you: the lake, the library, your friends, the cold morning walks to lectures, and that fresh start of a new term and new year.
For now, embrace the lights, the warmth, the memories (old and new). Christmas is coming, and you can prepare to go back home.
