By: Naomi Spence, Staff Writer

Thanksgiving break just passed and Christmas break is right around the corner. The crowded kitchens, cluttered dining room, and lines to the bathroom live all too fresh in many people’s memories.

The thought of spending another even longer break with the family can seem like a little bit of a head ache to some, but many teens are spending more time with their friends instead of their families on these long holiday breaks. Sure, spending less time with family and more time with friends is considered to be a normal part of growing up, but sometimes there can be a fragile line between just hanging out with your friends a lot and practically living with them. Friends are often replacing family for things like advice and homework help because, let’s face it, nobody knows more about what you’re going through then somebody who’s going through the same things at the same time.

There are things that friends just can’t replace your family for though, like the loss of a loved one, those special or silly Christmas traditions you can remember doing since you were little or even the awkward silence that seems almost inevitable to happen at least once at Christmas dinner no matter how many people are there.

But with the seven hours we spend with them at school added to the three plus hours spent with them after school spending extended hours with them on holiday breaks can be considered rude in some families especially when you have other family coming over. So this holiday season spending time with family should be on top of your priorities, but just remember that friends are the family you can choose.