From all the colorful lights on houses to supermarkets full of holiday-themed goods, to malls beautifully decorated with holiday ornaments, to radios constantly and joyfully playing holiday songs, even the air feels somewhat different at this most wonderful season of the year. The holiday is certainly close by, so take some time from your busy life to try one or a few of these holiday activities to get you in the holiday spirit!
1. Go Outside and Sip a Warm Drink
Whether drinking hot chocolate, coffee, tea, or a latte, sipping a warm drink is one of the coziest things you can do when it’s cold outside. One of my favorite things to do around this time of year is to go outside to enjoy the cool air, take a little walk where I can enjoy the holiday decorations, and just when I feel the chilliness, I go back inside. Even if it’s not for a long time, it makes me feel somehow happier and refreshed.
2. Give Gifts/Cards
I know that many people’s part of the holiday season is not complete without the joy of receiving gifts. What’s even nicer, is the process of giving something to someone to show how much you appreciate and love what the recipient does for you. After all, giving and doing something for someone is very rewarding, and it simply makes you feel much better just knowing that you helped someone in some way. It doesn’t have to be grand to express how much you care about them. It can be as small as a little handmade card, a gift that you put together using materials found in your house, or simply just being there for them to let them know you are here when they need.
3. Make Memories with Loved Ones
With many joyful things you can do during the holiday season, spending time with your friends and family is a heartwarming thing to do. You could play your favorite board games, go outside to see the holiday display on houses, bake holiday desserts together, play spoon-and-ornament race, do costume content, charades, holiday cook offs, etc. Possibilities are endless!
4. Get in Touch with Friends and Family
Whether online or in person, the holiday season is the perfect opportunity to catch up with friends and family whom you haven’t talked to for a while. For me, I won’t be able to visit most of my relatives, but I still contact and talk to them whenever I can, and my family and I send holiday cards every year to them to communicate how we are doing and to wish them a happy holiday season. Oftentimes, many including myself get so occupied and busy with what we do everyday that we don’t have enough time to talk to people we don’t meet regularly. But, the holiday season reminds us to get together and catch up on things with our loved ones.
5. Make Paper Snowflakes
This is one of the most simple yet most enjoyable activities to get you into the holiday spirit. You’ll need origami or printer paper, a ruler, a scissor, and a pencil to make them. If you are not sure how to make them, you can follow instructions using this link. What I love about making paper snowflakes is that you don’t know how they’ll turn out until you open and reveal them. It’s always different and unique every time you make it, which is why the activity is so enjoyable. After you create them, you can display them in your house, or if it turns out pretty and you want to offer it to someone, you can slip it in an envelope and give it to them. It might also be fun to host paper snowflakes competitions with friends or family to see who crafts the prettiest snowflake.
6. Volunteer/Donate
In the month of December, there is a feeling of glee and warmth. A month when we can get together with family and friends and spend time with them. A month when we can go holiday shopping and buy presents. A month when we can proudly wear ugly sweaters. A month of laughter and good spirits. But, there are many people who need little extra cheer during the holiday, and volunteering and donating is an excellent opportunity to help them. They are one of the most beautiful things you can ever do because you are giving hands to others voluntarily.
7. Go Ice Skating
Going ice skating in the brisk air is one of the best ways to enjoy the winter weather and simply feel happy. It gets you in a cheerful mood, and there’s an indescribable feeling of joy when you are on the ice skating rink. Wearing a warm coat and a hat, surrounded by people who are also having a great time just like you, even though it is frosty outside, you somehow feel warmth in your body.
8. Watch a Holiday Movie
Watching a holiday movie is a must-do for everyone. There’s no doubt about it. Holiday movies get us in a holiday spirit straight away, and they are especially fun to watch with others. They make us laugh and feel both cheerful and merry. S
ome classic movies you can watch with your family and friends are A Christmas Carol, A Christmas Story, The Christmas Chronicles, Noelle, Elf, Home Alone, and The Nightmare Before Christmas. One of my favorites is While You Were Sleeping.
9. Go
See Holiday Performances
As much as watching movies is fun, going to see live performances is truly memorable and special. Nowadays, we can easily access many different movies and shows on TV, but physically going to the theater, meeting with people who are there to see the same performance as you, and seeing performers act live on stage is a whole lot better than watching a performance through a screen on the sofa at home. Plus, you don’t have to go far away to see such performances. There are multiple local holiday performances that are nearby that I recommend you see.
First is the Madrigal Festival, which will be held this Saturday, December 16th at 7:00 pm at THS. Madrigal Festival is an annual holiday theater performance performed by THS students. It consists of a short play set in the medieval court and traditional songs that go with it. The second performance I recommend you to go see is the Nutcracker performance at Nunnbetter. Performances will be held this Friday, December 15 at 7:00 pm, this Saturday, December. 16 at 2:00 pm and 7:00 pm, and this Sunday, Dec 17 at 2:00 pm at Bergen County Academies.
10. Do an Advent Calendar
If you celebrate Christmas, having an advent calendar is a fun way to do a countdown. Each night, you can open a new window and find a new surprise.
11. Bake and Decorate Cookies
This is probably on the top of my to-do list this holiday season. The process of baking cookies, making the dough, shaping them with cookie cutters, enjoying the fresh smell from the oven, and the best part – eating them fresh baked. Baking cookies is one of the most festive and enjoyable things to do around the holiday. If you would like to take a look at 97 different holiday cookie options, click on this link.
12. Have a Snowball Fight
Hopefully, we are going to get a lot of snow this season. Not just because this may mean potential snow days, but because then there are opportunities to have snowball fights. Rather than spending your day all cozy at home, go outside and enjoy the snow with friends and family. Snowball fights are full of fun and simply enhance the overall winter experience.
13. Take Family Photos
Holiday season is when many get together with their whole family, making it the perfect time to take family photos together. Taking family photos are heartwarming and will be memorable memories that you will cherish for years to come.
14. Make a Wish List
Ever since I was little, I always sat down and wrote down a wish list of presents I wanted. This is a fun activity that certainly gets you into a holiday spirit! You don’t have to give a wish list to anyone; it can just be a bunch of ideas of gifts you would like to give yourself someday.
15. Random Act of Kindness
Doing random acts of kindness, whether directed towards someone you know or someone you completely don’t know, is fulfilling. Kindness is costless, and anyone can do it. Those who do it might not exactly remember what they did, but those who received kindness might commemorate it perpetually. Even an action as small as holding a door open for someone behind you at school or smiling at your acquaintance in the halls are still acts of kindness. These little things might ultimately make someone’s day.
After reading this article, I hope you will feel inspired to try a couple of holiday activities to lift your holiday spirit. I hope everyone will have a holiday that is safe and full of laughter. Happy Holidays!
