Winter Break is a time to celebrate the people in our lives. We spend Christmas and Hanukkah with our closest family members, and New Year's with our closest friends. Coming home is all about seeing the people we care about.
However, along with Winter Break come a whole lot of people who, quite frankly, we just don't really feel like seeing.
The awkward run-ins with people we haven't seen in a long time, and don't really care to, are as much a part of Winter Break as Christmas decorations and cheesy TV specials.
We've all been there. You go out to the grocery store to pick up some gossip magazines or are taking the dog for a quick walk in your pajamas when lo and behold, there is That Person You Haven't Talked To In Years (But Maybe Facebook-Stalk From Time To Time).
Immediate panic sets in. Fight or flight? Engage them in uncomfortable small talk, or pretend not to see them and busy yourself with embarrassing purchases and dog walking?
The worse thing is that as the years go on, these encounters grow more frequent and uncomfortable.
This is because with each summer and Winter Break as college goes on, the amount of people we still hang out with from high school tends to dwindle. We "trim the fat" if you will, and the people we were never really that great of friends with trickle away to a select and beloved few.
However, as our group of true home friends grows smaller, our group of People We Don't Feel Like Running Into grows larger and larger.
Who are these people, and why must we always run into them in such uncomfortable ways? Let's take a look:
The Appendage: The Appendage is that person who is friends with one of your close friends, so you always end up hanging out with them as well over break.
You never really liked them to begin with, but they come as a package deal with the people you actually like. So you are forced to have that biannual, scripted catch-up session to explain what you have done with your life during the past six months.
And then you don't talk to them for the next six months. Rinse and repeat.
The Ex: It is absolutely inevitable that you will run into The Ex at some point over break, and it will probably be when you are grocery shopping in a sweat suit with no makeup, haven't showered in two days and have a bizarre rash on your forehead. As such, it is usually better to nip this one in the bud and call them up for lunch. It is worth it to maintain friendly relations, and at least this way you can wash your hair first.
The Ghost of Hallways Past: The Ghost of Hallways Past is someone you run into and know you have seen before, but can't quite place where.
There is a moment of panic. Were they one of those people you saw in the hallways during passing periods in high school? Did they go to camp with you? Or, even worse, do they go to Duke with you now?
In any case, your acquaintanceship with them is usually long past its expiration date. With The Ghost of Hallways Past, it is often best to avoid the situation altogether and busy yourself with whatever item is on the shelf in front of you rather than go for the potentially insulting "Hey... you!"
That Place: That Place is the one place in town where you know you are bound to see every person you know, and usually their parents, too, as an added bonus. Whether a local diner or health club, this is a hot spot for People You Don't Feel Like Running Into. Sometimes you are even lucky enough to have an old acquaintance as a waitress and have the thought-provoking dilemma of how much to tip the person you sat next to in math class three years ago.
Hopefully, by now you know to come to That Place dressed like you are on a photo shoot and with a scripted two-minute blurb about how your semester was. Also, it is best to avoid parents altogether, because they never seem to know if you haven't talked to their offspring since the third grade.
So what is to be done with these uncomfortable and inevitable incidents? You can take the low road and avoid large places of gathering and perfect the art of the conveniently timed faked cell phone call.
Or, you can realize that most of the time, things are only awkward if you make them so.
Yes, there is something inherently awkward about unintentionally seeing someone you barely remember, haven't seen in years and have no desire of describing your current life situation to. But remember, that person probably feels just as uncomfortable as you do, and sometimes a little bit of unabashed friendliness goes a long way.
So, in the spirit of the holidays, when you see That Person walking down the street, look them in the eye, smile and let out a good ole "Oh my gosh! Hi! I haven't seen you in ages, how are you?" Who knows, you might even end up reviving a friendship you thought was long dead. And if not, there is always the fake cell phone call.
Stacy Chudwin is a Trinity junior. Her column runs every other Thursday.
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