In for the long haul

Let’s be real: winter holidays can drag on. Here are some activities to keep energy levels high (Photo by Ian Joyce)

Alright everyone, it’s almost time for us all to go home and spend some time with our families over the winter break. We can all walk away from our jobs and spend our (ludicrously long) time away from school doing the same things we would between classes during school.

Okay, we can’t all drink for the entire break. We would die.

In that case, here are five things that you can do to keep being awesome during the holidays.

Sledding

Yeah, I know my first suggestion is weak, but have you been sledding in the past few years? It’s still awesome. There are definitely bonus points available if you have a little sibling or cousin whom you can bring on the adventure. You can either spend a few dollars to pick up a simple sled, or just take the classic garbage can. It’s super simple.

Gingerbread houses

Make a village if you really want to, but the biggest part of this is that fact that you get to build it up, then tear it down. We all have that one artist friend/sibling who takes over the whole project to make sure that everything is pretty and perfect in their little gingerbread castle. If you’re that friend, enjoy. If you’re anyone else, have fun smashing the house right after and eating the candy.

Plays

Not everyone is a fan of theatre, but if you are, the holidays are the perfect time to jump around to a few. I was a theatre critic in high school, and this is the busiest time for schools to be putting on shows. The tickets are usually $5-10, and if you go with a group of friends, even a bad play can be a blast.

Learn a new skill

I’m not going to tell you which skill, but teaching yourself something along the lines of juggling, fancy tie knots, roller derby, or Pokemon training isn’t as difficult as you would think. Usually learning a new skill to the point where you are able to “self-correct” can be done in less than 40 hours of effort. Without school to worry about, that should be pretty easy to pull off.

Make dinner

This may not be the most fun suggestion, but this is one of the few times during the year that you are not cooking everything on a university budget! You have access to that beautiful conduction stove and a full shelf of spices. There are whisks, spoons, ladles, tongs, and forks that have been gathered over the course of an entire life of raising you. The oven doesn’t need to be reset every 15 minutes, and the smoke alarm doesn’t go off when you use the microwave. Use this time to make yourself into a five star chef. Or have your parents make something for you, no judgement here.