7 Things That Will Remind You Going Home For The Holidays Isn't So Bad

With Christmas over, and the sun beginning to set on all those delicious treats that will have you running to the gym next week, you need to stop what you're doing and pat yourself on the back.

You survived the holiday season!

Yes, you survived making the two-hour trip to visit your mom.

You survived unpacking your bags in your childhood bedroom without your boyfriend noticing the line of Beanie Babies sticking out of your bookcase.

You survived the crazy aunt who doesn't realize she slobbers when she kisses you on the cheek, as you feigned a smile when you unwrapped yet another bottle of the Britney Spears perfume you've been getting every year since you were 13.

Christmas is the most magical time of the year.

And to prove just how badass you are for surviving the holidays with your family, here are seven things that will make you realize your heart really did grow three sizes this season:

1. You didn't totally hate that you still had to sit at the kids' table.

Mainly because all the other kids have phones, tablets and school drama that is way cooler than your 9 to 5 existence.

2. Your parents got you socks.

And you didn't totally want to yell at them, because deep down, you know you could never really have too many socks.

3. You bought your uncle a Christmas gift, even though he never gets you anything.

You understand it isn't a competition of who gets each other what.

It's about seeing your family at the dining room table, swapping stories and laughing over some crazy memories only your family knows.

It's not about fancy gifts or material things.

Christmas means just a little bit more.

4. You didn't have the heart to tell your cousin you already own a mixer.

And without a receipt either, you rationalize that you don't have to wash one mixer first before deciding to bake cookies.

You have two of them.

Boo-yah!

5. You appreciate the handmade scarf your grandma knit for you.

She invested countless hours in coming up with a design she thinks you'll like, and spent her valuable time making you something from her heart.

You appreciate it because as you get older, you realize it's these kind of things that are worth holding onto.

6. You realize how good you had it living at home.

You were always surrounded by people who loved you and wanted nothing but the best for you.

And just for a day, or weekend, you get to have someone else cook you dinner for a change.

7. You start to see how difficult the holidays are for your parents, as they stand in the driveway to say goodbye.

Suddenly, you begin to see how vulnerable they've become as they wave back at you.

You realize how hard it must be for them to not have their children at their home on Christmas morning, or to have to share them with their significant others' families.

You realize how sad it must be for them to watch their boys turn into independent 28-year-old men, and their daughters turn into 25-year-old women who dream about starting their own families within their own homes.

You appreciate how much they love you, and how much you want to be with them on Christmas.

Because it's their stories, their loving hugs and even their sly insults that make the holidays worthwhile.

It's about being home and going back to your roots, even for just a day, to realize the true meaning of Christmas.