Ah, winter break. It’s like Thanksgving break on steroids. Not only is it longer, but without the nagging thoughts about the impending finals you have to take, winter break is the perfect opportunity to sit back, relax, and do absolutely nothing. While it may be tempting to enter into hibernation immediately upon your return home, I think we all know that ironically, doing nothing but sitting around for too long ends up being more stressful than relaxing. By the time second semester inevitably rolls around, we may feel a sudden pang of overwhelming anxiety and lack of preparedness. We may also feel unmotivated and like we wasted our break watching Netflix instead of making memories with our friends and family and enjoying new experiences. This can all be avoided by spending your winter break wisely and efficiently, while also having some fun. Inspired by the Christmas song “12 Days of Christmas” here is a list of 12 things to do over winter break to fill the void that binge-watching hours upon hours of Scandal alone on your couch would leave you with.
On the 1st day of winter break….
Find a new hobby. Always wanted to learn how to play the guitar? Take cooking classes? Now’s your chance! Who knows, you may end up finding your calling in life.
On the 2nd day of winter break….
Clean out your closet, room, under your bed, whatever place you have treated like a dumping ground the past three years. Getting rid of all the junk you don’t need can prove to be a liberating experience that makes you feel like you cleaned up your life, not just your room.
On the 3rd day of winter break….
Build your resume. Second semester is almost upon us, which means we have to start thinking about summer internships and jobs. While it may seem far off in these 30 degree temperatures, the summer will be here before you know it and you don’t want to miss out on a great opportunity just because you missed an application deadline.
On the 4th day of winter break….
Volunteer. Not only is volunteering a great way to give back over the holiday season and remind you of what the holidays are really about, it is also an opportunity to bulk up your aforementioned resume.
On the 5th day of winter break….
Start applying to internships and jobs. Now that you’ve built and bulked that resume, it’s time to write some cover letters and send out some applications. It’s never too early and getting ahead of the game will make you a lot less stressed out in the middle of second semester. You have nothing but time on your hands during break so why wait until February when you’re up to your ears in work?
On the 6th day of winter break….
Have a cookie exchange or a pollyanna. Okay, back to the fun stuff. Because trying 10 different kinds of cookies with your friends is better than watching 10 hours of Netflix. I promise.
On the 7th day of winter break….
Cultivate a new interest. Read, watch, see something…anything, that interests you.
On the 8th day of winter break….
Take an online class. Doing this can lighten up your course load for future semesters or allow you to get required credits out of the way so you can take more electives.
On the 9th day of winter break….
Read a book. All those books you said you would read “if only I had time to read for pleasure”. Well, now you have the time so embrace the opportunity to ditch the Biology textbook and pick up Gone Girl instead.
On the 10th day of winter break….
Actually spend quality time with the fam. Make time to decorate a gingerbread house with your little sister or watch your favorite Christmas movie with your parents.
On the 11th day of winter break….
Make tons of holiday treats. With a tangible (and edible!) reward at the end, a day of baking is a day well spent. There’s a plethora of amazing recipes out there to try like these eggnog cookies: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/13651605096218303/
On the 12th day of winter break….
Take a road trip. What better way to make memories with your family or friends that to take an adventure? It doesn’t matter where you go. It’s about the journey, not the destination.
I hope everyone has safe and enjoyable winter breaks!