It’s that time of year again, which means gaudy lights and decorations abound, consumers everywhere rush to buy the last deluxe special edition items remaining on the shelf, and those of us who still believe make a little trip to Santa’s lap. Oh, and for most of us students, it means a refreshing three-week visit with our parents and siblings.

For many freshmen, this will be the first extended stay at home since you arrived here in August. You’ve probably been home for fall break and a weekend or two, but don’t expect the same thing here. Two days at home is a completely different situation from three weeks, as most any older student will tell you.

For starters, all your newfound college freedoms disappear – if you had a curfew before, it’s probably still in effect. And if you usually don’t go to bed until 3 a.m., expect conflicts as the rest of your family is most likely on a regular sleep schedule.

Don’t be surprised if your parents complain that you “sleep all day” and “never do anything.” I know you’re up late doing incredibly practical things like painting Mona Lisas or debating philosophical points with your friends over instant messenger, but from your parents’ point of view, you’re just a lazy bum.

And don’t wake up at 2 p.m. on a weekend and expect breakfast to still be served. Unless you have a personal cook or something, I imagine your family makes three meals (and three meals only) per day, and if you miss one, you’re on your own. Take advantage of several weeks of home-cooked meals, but don’t get too used to it; before long, you’ll be back to eating delicious dorm food.

But your biggest conflicts will probably arise over your newfound sense of independence. After spending four months living on your own and doing whatever you want, it’s quite a shock to come back to your old life and discover your parents are still very much in control. Or at least, they think they are.

To be fair, you’re moving back into their house with their rules and their habits, and both parties are facing a large, unexpected adjustment. Instead of complaining, rebelling, or placing the blame all on your parents, try and see it from their perspective.

Although you may feel as if you’ve changed (maybe drastically) in your first semester, to them you’re still the same helpless freshman they dropped off four months ago. It will take time – and a bit of work – for both of you to adjust to one another.

I found that when I stubbornly tried to retain my independence, problems occurred. It was hard to go from doing everything myself to letting other people help me out (and helping others out), but once I settled into a mentality that didn’t center on myself, things became a lot smoother.

So instead of leaving your dishes lying around, take them up to the sink or take out the garbage, or offer to help cook or clean. Maybe you already do this because you’re the “perfect child” my mom has been in search of for 19 years. If so, I commend you; just don’t visit my family, ever.

And keep in mind the one stickler that seems to be every parents’ pet peeve: leaving junk lying around the house. If you’re anything like me, you’ll arrive home with way too much stuff, and instead of putting it away, you leave it sitting in a heap for weeks.

This will inevitably invoke the “And you leave your crap lying all over the house!” line, which can be freely tossed into any shouting match by your mom or dad, to be used as additional evidence in an already huge mountain of wrongs you’ve committed. The last thing you want to do is give them more ammo against you, so try to unpack right away.

I leave you with one last piece of advice: Unless your mom and dad are crazy, your bathrooms at home won’t be cleaned more than once a week or so (certainly not every day, like in the dorms). So try to keep the bathroom clean or you’ll, uh, regret it.

Oh yeah, and Happy Holidays!