As we enter this winter season, we encounter many new things: the holidays, colder weather, but also seasonal depression for some. According to Mayo Clinic, seasonal affective disorder is a type of depression related to the changes in seasons. This disorder is specifically predominant during winter, as people tend to stress over finals, the weather gets colder, days become darker as the sun sets earlier, and people may feel more alone during the holidays. If you are suffering from seasonal depression, it is important to find fun activities to uplift yourself and try to get in the holiday spirit. Here are some of my favorite festive activities.
- Watching the Holiday Lights
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Lights are an amazing way to boost my morale during the holidays, so gather your friends or family and go find a place that makes you feel as if you are entering a Winter Wonderland. By googling ‘lights near me,’ you can find several places in your area to see some beautiful lights. An alternative option is driving through a neighborhood, specifically one with larger homes because the lights are generally better. Bring some hot cocoa and snickerdoodles for the ride and blast your favorite holiday tunes.
- Crafting Gingerbread Houses
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Another activity that always brings out my holiday cheer is crafting gingerbread houses. You can find affordable gingerbread house kits at your local Walmart, Target, or other convenience store. Before the holidays end, get together with your loved ones in some cozy holiday-themed pajamas to have a gingerbread house making contest while your favorite holiday movie or songs play in the background.
- Exchanging Holiday Gifts
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I am a huge fan of gift-giving, which is great during the holiday season. Being able to find the perfect gift for your loved one is a beautiful part of the holidays. A great way to exchange gifts with your friends can be through doing a Secret Santa gift exchange. This is an arrangement where a group of loved ones exchange presents anonymously. Each person is secretly assigned a member to provide a gift for, then everyone gets together and exchanges the gifts on a set day, where they either reveal the person they were assigned or keep it anonymous forever.
Another gift-exchanging activity is a White Elephant gift exchange, also known as a Yankee Swap. The goal of this gift exchange is to entertain the party members, rather than provide a highly valued gift. Each person brings a wrapped gift of their choosing, based on the group of people participating in the gift exchange. The players sit in a circle around the gifts and draw numbers to decide what order they will choose in. The first player picks one gift from the pile and opens it in front of everyone. Then, the following players either pick a gift from the pile or can choose to steal a previous player’s gift. White Elephants are entertaining events that create some fun, little chaos.
- Baking New Holiday Recipes
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A great way to start off this winter season is by finding new holiday recipes to bake. This includes holiday-themed cookies, brownies, cakes, cupcakes, and more. These holiday recipes can be found on Pinterest or Google. You can top off these recipes with red and green frosting or snowflake sprinkles. In order to feel genuinely in the holiday cheer while baking, throw on some holiday tunes or a classic holiday movie in the background.
- Construct Homemade Cards
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One final way I bring out my holiday cheer is by forming homemade cards for my loved ones. Just run to the store for some red and green construction paper and holiday stickers to create the best cards for your loved ones. You can write a note or drawing to add personal touch to the card. Everyone loves a homemade gift, it shows genuine thought and care.
The holidays aren’t the holidays unless the spirit and cheer is there. With creativity, effort, and loved ones, you can demonstrate festivity and have a better mood during the holidays. I strongly encourage you to try some of these activities this season!