Exams are done! You’ve survived the rusted, busted struggle bus that is finals week and you’re home free for ALMOST A WHOLE MONTH. What on Earth are you going to do with yourself? You might have snagged a job or a ‘winternship,’ but there’s still plenty of time left for accomplishing all the little things you’ve been missing the past four months. Read on to see one collegette’s recommendations for the ultimate Winter Break Bucket List!
-
Sleep in your own bed
It has been too long. Vow to not waste your break, then sleep in each and every day of it in order to recoup a semester’s worth of lost beauty rest. Time definitely not wasted.
They’ll be just as excited to see you as you are to see them, if not more. And if you don’t have pets but loved seeing the adorable pups at Exam Paws, consider spending some time volunteering at a local animal shelter. The dogs and cats there will definitely thank you for it
3. Say thanks to your parents
Nothing builds perspective like spending a semester away from the people who raised you. Remember that in some small way they did help you become who you are, and as you enter your twenties you’ll realize more and more just how much they deserve and would appreciate a simple thank you now and again.
4. Visit your old high school, but only briefly
When you come home from school nostalgia will hit you, especially if you’re just returning from your first semester. Fight the urge to miss it all and instead appreciate where it lead you. Maybe visit a few friends still there or the teachers who made the biggest difference in your life, but definitely don’t become the kid who’s stuck in the past, haunting the halls of their high school.
5. Try making something from Pinterest
Warning: may end in Pinterest fail. It may not be easy to recreate the perfect recipes and DIY decor you have pinned all over your Pinterest account, but if there was ever a time to try, it would be now!
6. Read Ulysses already
Or the Great Gatsby, or whichever novel you’ve been promising yourself you’ll read once the piles and piles of school work subside. Seize the day, or be forced to put the literature on the back burner for yet another semester.
7. Plan Spring Break
Remember, when one break ends another is right around the corner! Time to start in on some plans for an awesome and memorable break of soaking up some sun, volunteering during an alternate spring break, or taking an awesome road trip across the US.
8. Watch Elf
No one’s greater at making a winter bucket list than Elf! Settle in, travel through the swirly twirly gumdrop forest, and enjoy the luxury to watch movies all day without having to sacrifice work on a ten page paper and a lab report due next week.
Everybody loves ice skating! Take a date, take your little sister, take your best friends from home, and glide around as you pretend you’re living in a winter wonderland! Even if the rink is enclosed, man made, and it’s 75 degrees out.
10. Send ‘Thank You’ cards
Not matter what holiday you celebrate in December remember to give thanks for all the generous and loving people on your life. If you had a professor you especially liked or an advisor who really helped you out this semester consider sending them a card as well. Small acts of kindness can go a long way, and your appreciation will be remembered.
11. Hang out with your siblings
Maybe you’ve missed them, maybe you haven’t. Either way this will be a chance to catch up on their lives and maybe share some stories about your college aventures that aren’t so mom-and-dad appropriate!
12. Volunteer in your hometown
Service and philanthropy are a big part of a well rounded college career, but have you ever considered volunteering while you’re at home? It’s almost certain that there will be volunteer opportunities in your hometown over the holidays so search them out and recruit a few friends to give back with you.
13. Disappear from the Web
Especially during finals time, escaping to social media and living vicariously through others lives can be an easy trap to fall into. Take this break as a chance to distance yourself from the antisocial “social web” and live life in the moment, without worrying whether or not everything you did was documented for all the world to see.
14. Make peppermint bark
It’s the holidays, it’s delicious, there are two whole gyms waiting for you when you get back. Who knows, this could even be the recipe you attempt off Pinterest only to give up in utter defeat. At least you’ll get a story out of it!
15. Have a rockin New Years Eve!
Last but not least, ring in 2014 with style! School is still a week away so have fun and live it up. Celebrate such a fantastic fall semester and get ready for another great one ahead. Happy Winter Break collegiettes, HCXO!