Friday, December 19, 2014

12 Days of Christmas | Favourite Holiday Activities

Welcome to Day 6, of our 12 Days of Christmas series! No matter what holiday you’re celebrating this season, this time of year always brings family together. Whether you have relatives fly in - or just see the ones you live near a LOT more - it’s a time where an abundance of free time is had, and so, plans are made. 

So we decided to make a list of our favourite fun things to do during the holidays!

Ski Resort
This is possibly the most fun thing on this list. Two years ago, all of my cousins took a trip down to Blue Mountain, a ski resort here in Ontario. It was SO MUCH FUN. We rented a chalet and took the drinking games the first night in. We also created “winter nicknames” for everyone. Don’t ask. During the day, we rented ski & snowboard equipment and took to the slopes. Although it was cold, wet, and snow sports are extremely taxing, it was an awesome new experience. Part of the group opted to go ATV-ing around the area, which we heard was exciting. During the night we took up residence at the pub, Windy O’Neils (which we appropriately dubbed “Windy’s”), and a few of us checked out their nightclub “Avalanche”. Winter resorts always have a ton of fun things to do, and the atomosphere is unbeatable. Whether you get out on the slopes, or stay in with some hot chocolate near the fireplace, it’s great to have a little getaway during the holidays with family and friends.

Skating Rink
Skating always brings out the laughs. Everyone’s falling over themselves. And if you’re not, you’re usually stuck pulling along someone that is. Which always results in both parties landing on their bums. It’s such a light-hearted activity. No one cares if you’re an Olympic figure skater. There are adults, kids, teens. Everyone’s out to have a good time. The atmosphere is especially amazing when you skate outdoors, with the lights and the trees. It’s really magical. Skating is intimidating if you haven’t been in a while, sure. But once you get out there and get the hang of it, it makes for a really fun family outing, or a really cute date (watch Harry’s date in One Direction’s “Night Changes” video for further proof of this fact).

Marshmallow Roast Movie Night
We always make it a point to do this. We light the fire, bust out the marshmallows, and toss on a classic Christmas movie. If you’re doing this while drinking alcoholic eggnog and wearing ugly Christmas sweaters, you get an extra ten points. It doesn’t matter how or where you do this, it always ends up looking like a scene from a movie. Who doesn’t like a little cliché in their lives?

Volunteer
This is obviously the one we urge everyone to try to holiday season. We’ve been wanting to do this one for a while. This year, instead of getting everyone gifts, we opted to buy canned goods and donate them to a local food bank. You can also volunteer at a local soup kitchen or shelter. Or by initiating a food/toy drive of your own – at your school or workplace. Every little bit helps. We’re so incredibly lucky to be able to sit down with our families, open presents and enjoy a meal. Helping others feel that same love during the holidays (and all year around for that matter) is the most important thing.  

Theatre
Our aunt started this tradition when we were younger and we absolutely love it. We get dressed up, get some dinner before hand, and then head out to the theatre. Most years we see “The Nutcracker”. But sometimes we trek to downtown Toronto and see productions like “Cinderella” or “Beauty and the Beast”. If you haven’t been to a theatre production, the holidays are a great time to do so.

Santa Hat Drinking Game
Last but certainly not least, are the games. Board games are a BIG thing in our family. We love Trivial Pursuit, Anomia, Cranium, 7 Wonders (the list goes on)… We also love drinking games like Kings Cup. This one I saw on the Internet recently, and I’m so excited to try it. The premise basically is: you place a santa hat on the edge of your television and start a movie or TV show. Everytime a character’s head ends up in the corner, and therefore under the hat, you take a drink. Seems innocent enough, but apparently it happens a lot more than you anticipate. So get the hat out and those cups filled!


If you’re at a loss for activities to do with your family this season, I hope this helped a bit! Enjoy the bonding time!

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