The holiday season racks up expenses. As college students, these expenses can quickly reach outside of your budget. Here is a list of 5 free activities that you can try this holiday season to avoid breaking your budget!
No Need to Break the Bank!Â
As a college student on a budget, it can be difficult to plan holiday activities without breaking the bank. The holiday season is not only a busy time of year for students, but also an expensive time of year for just about anyone. When most holiday traditions require you to purchase and spend, like baking cookies and other holiday recipes, Secret Santa, and decorating, it may feel like there aren’t any activities you can do over the holidays that don’t cost money. If you, much like me, are looking for activities to do that won’t require you to spend your precious funds, you came to the right place! Here are 5 free holiday activities that you can do this holiday season that will have your wallet breathing a sigh of relief.
- . View Holiday Lights
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If you are anything like me, you grew up cruising down the road with your family viewing your neighbors’ Christmas light displays (and some of them were elaborate). Well, why stop? Or if you haven’t before, why not start now? Going out to see holiday lights is an activity that not only keeps you from breaking the bank, but that is also easily accessible. While this can be an organized activity, it is also easy to hop in the car with family and friends and cruise around local streets, which is not only low cost but also low pressure, offering a moment of calm during the otherwise stressful holiday preparation.Â
- . Holiday Movie Marathon
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So, maybe you looked at that first activity, and would rather prefer an indoors activity. Well, look no further, there are plenty more to come! If you would rather stay at home where it’s warm, options are not limited. If you would rather stay warm and cozy, a movie marathon may be the perfect activity for you! Many streaming services offer festive movies for you to enjoy solo or with family and friends. Youtube also often has plenty of free movie options, and even pre-curated playlists if you’re up for some Christmas Movie Roulette! If you’d rather not play a game of Christmas Movie Roulette, but you also aren’t entirely sure what movies you’d like to watch this holiday season, here is a list of the 100 best Christmas movies to get you started (and to introduce you to some new titles for your movie marathon)!
- . Christmas Karaoke
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If you are into festive tunes, you may enjoy this one! Karaoke, but make it holiday-themed! Another fun activity to do with family and friends, Christmas Karaoke is perfect for saving money, as you don’t need any supplies or subscriptions to make it fun! There are plenty of karaoke playlists on Youtube, standard and festive alike. These playlists are also great if you’d like to play a game of blind karaoke, a game in which the singer faces away from the screen so as to not see the lyrics, to keep the family on their toes! Here is a Christmas Karaoke themed-playlist, perfect for if you’d like to give blink karaoke a try, but also for if you’d like to keep it low stress!
- . Comfy Pajama Day
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During the Christmas season, having a cozy day in with blankets and hot chocolate may be more fun than braving the snow and ice. If that’s the case for you, then maybe simply having a comfy pajama day is an idea you could give a try! The bonus: you don’t even have to change out of your pajamas for this one! Staying in with family and friends, and being in one another’s company, especially for college students returning home for the holidays, can be just as enjoyable (and free) as any of the other activities on this list. With this activity, you can combine it with whatever you want! If you’d rather just stay in and relax in your pajamas, or if you would like to combine it with another item on this list, you will have an enjoyable (and comfortable) day either way!
- . Festive Game Night
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Family game nights are a classic! However, if you’d like to make the activity more “festive,” you have plenty of options! Here is a list of family Christmas game ideas, with the first half being standard game ideas, and the second half being gift exchange game ideas. Adding these games to your family game nights will make a day of fun for all ages, and may introduce you to some new games you’ve never heard of. You don’t have to break the bank to host a day of fun games, and this list proves it! Bring the family together to play a fun day of games without having to leave the warmth of the home.
The Jolly Wrap-up
The holidays can be stressful and often require a lot of planning and expenses to be set aside. This means that many people on a budget, including college students, may feel that they are not able to be included in the festivities of the holidays. However, finding free and low budget activities to introduce to family and friends means not having to break the bank or drain funds into holiday planning. Here is a list of free/low budget holiday activities if you’d like to see more options that were not on this list! Happy holidays!