Out with the old and in with the new. As the holidays came to an end and the spring semester began I started to reflect on my break. This winter break gave me more to be thankful for than usual.

In my 19 years of experience I have found that after a vacation with my family it is necessary to take another just to be able to relax and "de-stress," making me actually look forward to the daily stresses of college.

In all honesty, there is nothing that my professors or my editors can assign that can compete with 4 a.m. wake up calls by my parents' puppies or the sound of my cat jumping into and destroying our Christmas tree.

Don't get me wrong, holidays at my house are exciting to say the least, but one who has not endured the pleasure of my family could see this as a bit stressful. If you like waking up to baby gates, "special toys," and your clothes strewn around the house due to the puppies that your mother now refers to as "the boys," then, yes, you too could be in my family.

Unlike many of my fellow students, I didn't have the opportunity to have many home-cooked meals and leisurely naps; I'm not even sure if that would be an option in the my house anymore.

Instead my break included my family's "gift" that kept on giving, the usual family bickering, 13-hour workdays and a car accident that was out of a horror film.

It all began after a long day of catering to the usual unhappy holiday shoppers. The drive home seemed never-ending and I knew it would be the usual Griswold family Christmas at my grandparents.

A house full of people, some unable to get into the holiday spirit because they let complaining get in the way, others tired or sick, and none besides my parents, brother and I seemed to be bright-eyed and bushy-tailed.

As always, the men were in the living room complaining about the women, and the women were in the kitchen bickering about everything that is wrong in their lives (at this point my mom and I know better than to say anything).

What happened to the good old days when families sat around the table, said blessing and had small talk about how school or work was and how much the children were looking forward to Christmas?

Instead of our usual tradition of opening presents on Christmas Eve and watching It's a Wonderful Life or A Christmas Story, we were delightedly unaware that we were slowly being contaminated by the virus that "kept on coming." Even though that gift wasn't wrapped in a box with a pretty green bow, it definitely lasted throughout Christmas break.

Spending one day with my family is like watching an episode of The Osbournes -- minus the ugly faces and constant bleeping noises to drown out the loud swearing.

From dogs and cats, to fish and lizards, to the enjoyable banter of my mother dancing around in the kitchen, there is never a dull moment.

Thank God for another semester and the chance to have a "vacation" away from the often-tiring lives of my family members.