Unwind
Winter break is meant for you to rest, reset and take on tasks at an enjoyable level. Catch up on sleep that you missed out on during all those late night study sessions, have a girls spa day, spend quality time with family or start a new netflix series. Burnout is a real thing and self care is an absolute necessity. If your excuse is time, well now you have a full month to do whatever your heart desires.
Holidazzle
Winter break is the perfect time to get into the holiday spirit. This is my personal favorite part of winter break. I tend to notice that the holidays make everyone get into high spirits and all the winter activities are super cute and fun to do with your significant other, family or your besties. A few of my favorites would be:
– For Lights: the Magic of Lights (Jones Beach) & Dyker Heights Christmas Lights
– For Concerts/Shows: Jingle Ball & Christmas Spectacular
– For Holiday Markets: Winter Village (Bryant Park), Columbus Circle & Union Square
– For NYC: the Rockefeller Christmas Tree & Holiday Windows ( ie. Macy’s)
– For Movies: The Polar Express,The Christmas Card, & ABC’s 25 days to Christmas
And of course I love either a day of skiing or ice skating with hot chocolate and holiday cookies.
Make extra money
Those textbooks, nights out with friends and food that isn’t gourmet dining all tend to easily rack up a big bill by the end of a semester. Being home is your chance to save money & hopefully gain some too. You can take on a paid winter internship, baby or dogsit for people in your town, work in local shops, shovel snow or even sell handmade holiday presents. I know retail stores near me are always begging college students to work around the holidays. Maybe pick your favorite stores in the mall and go ask if they need another sales associate for their busiest time of the year, who knows you could leave with a temporary job and an employee discount!
Advance your knowledge
Whether it is with an extra class to get ahead, reading a book or talking to someone in your desired field, advance your knowledge over the month we have away from campus. I am not saying to hit the books every second you are considered a college student, but take part of your break to enhance yourself and your future career. Let’s say you are thinking of double majoring or want to save money on tuition,those one or two online classes from a community/state school that are only 5 weeks long are perfect. If the idea of being in class when all your friends are lounging at home gives you an acrimony, maybe start a book written by someone who inspires you or message professionals in your area asking them if they would like to chat for 15 mins over coffee about what they do for a living.
Personal Goals
Lastly, take the time to do something solely for you. It can be planning and getting a jump start on a workout plan, your personal blog or bucket list goal. Maybe it’s reconnecting with old friends or making new ones. Whatever you choose to do, just make sure it is making you happy and is worthwhile.
Winter break is meant to be a time to celebrate holidays, relax and do a few of those things on your to do list or maybe even your bucket list! Wishing you all the happiest of holidays!!