Winter Fun

DispatchesLifestyle

Winter Fun

Winter Fun: Enjoy the holiday season at home with these simple ideas for fun pastimes to try with your family this Christmas...

The hallmark movie portrays the winter holidays as a picture-perfect time of the year. Winter fun comes in the shape of Christmas sweaters, mulled wine, a roaring fire, get-togethers with friends and family, romance and skiing; it’s all so idyllic.

That stuff is all true, for the most part. But the winter can also be a little depressing (SAD, anyone?). The nights are longer, the sun rarely makes an appearance. It’s cold and dark, and the stress of Christmas parties and buying presents can get a little much. Life is expensive in 2022.

We’ll give you a list of fun winter holiday activities you can try without leaving your home. Keep that door shut, the snow and cold at bay, and enjoy seasonal activities. We’re going to put focus on what’s affordable. Christmas and the holidays are for everyone, after all!

Winter Fun: Enjoy the Holidays with These Seasonal Pastimes

Play Video Games

When we ‘grow up’, video games take a necessary back seat. We have responsibilities. Going to work, for example. Missing the morning meeting because you were in a battle for world domination against UltraKillz23 just won’t cut it.

But during the holidays, cut yourself a little slack and crank up that PS4/5. For example, hit some of the old favourites: Red Dead Redemption 2 or the Witcher 3, for example. Revisit old missions or spend your time earning credits by gambling in the old-school in-game casinos.

Of course, if you want to place a real wager, consider live casino games instead. With the number of holiday bonuses usually on offer, you probably won’t even need to whip out your bank card.

Binge Watch Christmas Movies

One of the best things about Christmas is that you can watch movies without guilt. Max out that time on the couch and get those classic holiday flicks on screen. Here are some of our favs:

Home Alone. It’s unbelievable that Home Alone is now over thirty years old; guess that makes it an old classic! It features a memorable performance from Macaulay Culkin, one of the best child actors of all time.

Die Hard. There are a lot of people who don’t consider Die Hard a Christmas movie, but they’re just a bunch of scrooges. It takes place during the holidays. What more do you need? This is a must-watch.

Elf. Will Ferrell is one of the all-time comedic greats, and this is one of his best performances. Hilarious, touching, and 100% a Christmas movie. This should be on your watch list every single year.

Winter Fun: Enjoy the Holidays with These Seasonal Pastimes

Read a Book

We probably spend too much time on Netflix and Disney+, let’s be honest. Instead of spending all of your free time watching Christmas movies (a lot is still acceptable!), why not try disappearing into a book?

It’s also the perfect cozy activity during a cold winter’s day. Wrap yourself up, get a water bottle, and sit in front of the fire. Open up a real book and disappear into another world.

Learn Something New

The internet has revolutionised learning. You don’t need to pay for an expensive course or go to an Ivy League college to have access to a world-class education.

If you’ve always wanted to learn how to code, YouTube can get you to a level where you can get hired as a developer. Big schools like Yale and Harvard offer access to lectures and courses, all for free.

Or how about learning a new language? Duolingo, for example, can help you learn Korean or German in just a few minutes per day. You’ll get to a conversation level before you know it.

Sleep!

We don’t sleep enough as a society. And it’s getting worse, with the push for people to overwork and clock OT greater than ever, especially now we’re connected 24/7. It’s unhealthy.

The holidays offer the perfect opportunity to reset and get the rest your body so richly deserves. Don’t let it be a one-time thing, either. Give sleep the attention it deserves, and give your body a chance to rejuvenate.

Spend Time with Family

Christmas is not just a chance to unplug from responsibilities, but it’s also about family. Being together, spending quality time with each other, enjoying being with the people you care about most.

According to a recent study, families in the United States spend a paltry 37 minutes of quality time together per day. Even when families are in the same space, they are what’s now being referred to as ‘alone together’. This is because we spend more time looking at our smartphones than actually interacting with the people we’re with.

So our final tip is to take advantage of spending time with those you love because there is absolutely no monetary value you can attach to something like that. It’s like that cheesy Mastercard campaign, right? And they’re right, time with family is priceless.