Hey Girl!
It’s Christmastime! I always have mixed feelings about the winter season. Usually I love it for the duration of December and start hating it around January. The long, cold months that follow Christmas always make me miss the summer. Unfortunately, at my college, the cold and snowy winters are one thing we are known for. Sometimes it is a really hard season. Tough memories attached to the holiday season, loneliness, and general stressors that come with finals are often present during these snowy months. I remember the winter of my freshman year at college felt particularly difficult because I wasn’t doing much on the weekends besides homework. Here are some of the best weekend activities to do to keep warm and stay positive throughout:
1. Have a Christmas/Grammys/Oscars/Valentine’s day party! There are a lot of opportunities for parties in the winter. When I was in high school I would have an annual Oscars party and it was great. In college I continued the tradition. We get lots of food, I invite all my closest girlfriends, and we watch the Awards Ceremony. Sometimes I put together some games to play during commercial breaks, and some small prizes for the winners! It has always been a great way to introduce my friends to one another and do something a little different.
2. Go on a cozy weekend trip! My freshman year, my friends and I took a trip to a cottage a few hours away from school. We were able to build a fire and make a homemade meal. This option is always a little more expensive, but it might be a nice reward and break from campus if you can swing it.
3. Go on a double date or have a friend who is already in a relationship set you up on a blind date.
4. Go Christmas caroling. Seriously! Shaina and I led this with our Catholic ministry group on campus and it was surprisingly successful. We were not the most talented of musicians, but we definitely made people in our town smile and feel some Christmas spirit. We even ended up crashing a Christmas party and getting free cookies out of it!
5. Put up posters offering free childcare for a specific night so parents can go shopping kid-free for the holidays. I know Shaina and I love working with little kids and miss children when we are in our little college bubble. This is a great thing to do if you are up for it! As long as you find a safe space on campus (or off campus, maybe ask a professor if you could use their house) to host the kiddos, plenty of professors’ kids will probably show up. It’ll be super entertaining as long as you get a big group of friends together to watch the group of rambunctious kids.
6. Winter is always a busy time for churches. See what the churches in your area are hosting this winter. Going to a church potluck is always a good idea (the food will be amazing, trust me). The church I went to freshman year with Shaina had a raffle one night for various desserts. It was a blast! We ended up winning some delicious cakes that we brought back to campus and ate for the duration of the week.
7. Have a cool winter photo shoot. Get dressed up and do some striking makeup for a really cool contrast between yourself and the white snow! If it doesn’t snow near you, a photo shoot can still be a really fun way to spend your time. Maybe even splurge and pay someone to take some cute photos of you and your friends. I’m a huge fan of making collages and scrapbooks, so to me the cost is worth it.
8. Make a snowman or snow fort, bonus points for doing it at night!
9. Host a Christmas cookie making night! Get some cookie dough, frosting, and sprinkles and bake with lots of friends in a dorm kitchen. Hand any extras out to students working hard in the library that night.
10. Host a hot chocolate social! Have everyone bring their own mugs and make hot chocolate with fun toppings. Some of my favorites are marshmallows, candy canes, whipped cream, sprinkles, and chocolate chips!
11. Cuddle up in with blankets, fuzzy socks, and lots of tea and watch your favorite Disney movies with friends! Those kinds of movies always make me feel a little happier and more hopeful when the cold, dark weather begins to reflect my mood.
12. Do secret santa with friends! Get creative with your budget. Keep it to a $5 or less gift, do-it-yourself gift, or a re-gift of something you already own but don’t need. Doing a White Elephant Gift Exchange would also be awesome!
13. Get together with friends and make cut-out snowflakes and winter decorations for dorm. I love hanging snowflakes near the Christmas lights in my room to create a cozy feel.
14. Learn to knit a scarf with friends, then give them to each other. Not only is if fun to learn a new easy skill, but it will also help keep you warm!
15. Create affirmation boxes one night with friends. Everyone will write a note to each other, telling them about something they admire about them, why they love them, or anything positive! Sometimes it can be hard to return back to campus in the winter, especially after a hard semester and a fun break with family and friends. Remind your friends how glad you are that they are there with you!
Have a very merry Christmas m’dear! Power through these long winter months. You can do all things through Christ who gives you strength (Philippians 4:13). Let this be your motto in times of trial this season. After all, God is never absent.
Don’t forget to comment your favorite Christmas/wintertime traditions below!
Lots of love,
Alena
