‘Home for the holidays’, ‘Driving home for Christmas’, ‘I’ll be home for Christmas’ - I’m sure you’ve heard at least one classic Christmas track whilst shopping or commuting. Home and Christmas go hand in hand in the wake of Michaelmas – but what does home mean for Cambridge students? For many, it’s the cobblestoned, picturesque Cambridge landscape that holds them in familiar solace for the festive season, for others, it’s a childhood home across the country or globe. And for some, ‘home’ might just mean a place where love and comfort are most felt, wherever that may be. My hometown, Coventry, in all its brutalist concrete architecture, is quite a contrast to the gothic intricacy and cobblestones of Cambridge. In the final weeks before I left for Christmas, I was excited about home comforts but equally relished in the peculiarity that I would soon miss, from gowned formals to Hogsmeade-esque pubs, and the excitement of Union debates.

“the unique college system seems to lessen the separation between home and university”

For many Cambridge students, the quaint community feel of the university is a new experience, which certainly has its advantages. Aurelia Baier, an MML exchange student at Murray Edwards, finds Cambridge to be very different from her home city of Berlin. She tells me, “It’s much, much smaller, but that’s become one of my favourite things about Cambridge […] you run into people you know all the time and see familiar faces.” For James Wilson, a History student at Magdalene, it was the college atmosphere that he missed most upon the return home for Christmas, particularly sport. “It was great fun getting up on a Saturday morning to play a bit of tennis, followed by a feisty mixed netball match and a football cuppers game to finish off in the afternoon.” I would agree; the unique college system seems to lessen the separation between home and university by creating a sense of college identity and community.

“I couldn’t help but feel tied to both places”

But Cambridge can become suffocating in its self-enclosed small-town feel, especially for students from bustling cities. James recounts, “I will never forget the Freshers’ week club night at Kiki’s which was completely empty at one, something that fortunately doesn’t happen in London.” Cambridge’s academic prestige had to be tempered by something, and in this case, it’s the mediocrity of its nightlife. For me, at the end of Freshers week, I was left most perplexed by the proximity of Vinyl to Waterstones - only in Cambridge would a nightclub be situated next to a bookshop!

Many students find homely comforts to be a crucial counterpoint to the intensity of Cambridge terms. For Arrandeep Pandhal, a History student at Selwyn, “cooking Indian food and afternoon walks” have become incorporated into his university life from home. Lili Mohammady-Foex, an MML student at Jesus, similarly tells me that she misses French and Japanese food – “my hometown is Paris, but I’ve been living in Tokyo for the past 4 years, so I’ve gotten really used to all the food Japan offers.” The wide-ranging cuisines of restaurants across Cambridge can provide a taste of familiar culture, but there is nothing quite like the food of home. It is a cultural root, grounding many students in their diverse identities. Olivia Goodman, an English student at Murray Edwards, feels a strong connection to her ordinary home routine back in Cardiff. “Wales is so different to Cambridge. […] I live right by the sea and would drive with my mum past the pier almost every day.” For her, Wales has become even more special since being away: “I miss having the coastal paths of Gower, beaches like Southerndown, the beautiful landscape of St Davids and Pen-y-Fan walks.”

Much like Olivia, the curiosity fostered by studying at Cambridge has helped me to appreciate the quirks of my home city. Yes, Coventry is a city of concrete and industry, but it also holds a rich history. Its most central landmark, the Cathedral, stands in its half-destroyed glory as a symbol of peace and reconciliation following the Blitz. This is a stone’s throw away from the stoic statue of Lady Godiva, today argued to be a feminist symbol. ‘Sent to Coventry,’ my peers have chuckled, as it’s known in popular culture as a place best avoided. Nevertheless, it’s my home, where I feel warmth and familiarity. Varying concepts of home and Cambridge are indelible strings which make up our identities. It is easy to get wrapped up in the wondrous academia of Cambridge’s hallowed halls, but just as important to maintain a connection with our sense of home.

On the way back home at the end of Michaelmas term, I couldn’t help but feel tied to both places. As the year draws to a close, the whirlwind Cambridge term is one to reflect on.“I do miss the busyness of life in term time – I miss having friends so close by for spontaneous movie nights or pub trips,” says Alice Brown, a Vet student at Medwards. Both spending quality time with family at home and close friends within college act as opportunities for much-needed relaxation. Whether it’s cultural cuisine, a team sport, a place, or people, home seems to mean comfort and leisure in all forms.