There are many parts of the holidays that stay the same year after year—decorating your home, exchanging gifts, seeing family, sending cards. As comforting as the familiar can be, sometimes it’s a good idea to mix it up a bit. Here are a few things to try adding to your routine this year.
Escape on a vacation. While many people aim to travel to visit family, some people become stressed out by all the forced family gatherings the holidays can bring. If you’re looking for something different this year, consider taking your winter vacation over the holidays. While flying during the holidays can be busier and more expensive, destinations and hotels will have holiday deals—particularly on Christmas Eve and Day, when many hotels stay empty.
Throw a holiday movie marathon party. Everyone ends up seeing a holiday movie or two on TV over the winter months, but if you want to really step it up and create a tradition your family and friends will love, consider throwing a movie marathon party. For example, everyone dresses in their best holiday sweaters or PJs while watching all the Home Alone movies, bringing themed treats and giving prizes to those who can quote the most lines correctly. You can do it every year and change the movie franchise each time.
Take a polar bear plunge. A polar plunge is a holiday tradition for a select crowd looking to start the New Year with a bang. Have you ever considered joining in on this particularly frozen tradition? Most people have no interest in submerging their bodies in almost frozen water in the dead of a Canadian winter, but if you’ve never done it before, now’s the time to try.
Learn to cook an old family recipe. You probably have some staples you stick to every year, or maybe cooking isn’t your thing and you avoid it as much as possible. Why not stretch your cooking muscles a bit this time around and finally learn how to make that traditional Tourtière your grandma was famous for?
