'Tis the Season- Your Holiday Activity Guide
‘Tis the Season. The season to stress, spend money, and stress some more. However, we love this time of year. We don’t think the holidays have to be a time of stress and drama. The holidays weren’t made to drain you emotionally and financially! There is a greater reason for the season and all of it is meant to be a time of celebration and joy. You also get more time off work- which means more time to hang with your family, friends, and just be a little lazy. #Perspectivepeople
There are plenty of fun things to do to get in that festive mood and we want to share with you a few ideas to SPICE up your holiday season..to even, dare we say, have you looking forward to the holidays.
Some crazy person actually created the idea of “fun runs” for the holiday season. We actually participated in one this year, the Reindeer Run (see picture above). We know what you’re thinking- how is a run going to get me in the Christmas spirit? Well the good news, you don’t even have to run. You can walk. You can bring your pet, you get to dress up in fun, ugly sweaters, you can even run 3 miles wearing bells and piss everyone off around you. C’mon. If that doesn’t shout FUN, we just don’t know what will. Once you’ve completed this “fun run”, go have a few seasonal beers in celebration- you’ve earned it! (See our brewery tour post for great ideas of where to find said seasonal beers.)
Go light-seeing. Not a typo. Christmas light-seeing. If you can check out Christmas lights and Christmas décor and not be moved a little bit, check your soul. James Island has the beautiful Holiday Festival of Lights that we like to go to- they really go ALL out. Plus, they have fire pits and giant s’mores. Or perhaps Celebrate the Season Holiday Lights Tour in Moncks Corner is closer to you- still lovely. Here are some cool places to check out with fancy lights. However, if you’re trying to save your pennies this holiday season- go check out lights in a big neighborhood. There is always one Griswold family in the neighborhood that goes all out. Go appreciate their hard work!
Throw an ugly Christmas sweater party. If there is any time of year it is acceptable to eat 3-dozen cookies, dress hideous, and drink copious amounts of wine, it is the holiday season. Have everyone bring a White Elephant gift ($10 or less, or more if you and your friends are rich) and have a fun gift exchange. Nothing says Christmas like stealing someone’s gift right out from under their nose.
Get your best girls (or guys) together, everyone bring their favorite Christmas treat and binge-watch a few Christmas movies. Cheesy as some of those suckers are, they sure do give you the warm fuzzies.
Our Christmas Movie Recommendations: Home Alone, The Holiday, National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, Love Actually, The Santa Claus, Four Christmases, and Elf. Duh to all of those, right?!
Crash a Holiday Party. This one takes some strategic planning and a good backstory. Our advice:
Dress the part. Don’t just show up in jeans and a flannel. You’ll stick out like a sore thumb.
Don’t use the coat check. You want no paper trail.
Be confident, but not OVERLY confident. This one is tough- practice your escape out of awkward conversations with the people asking too many questions like, “what do you do for this company?”... Mind your business, Carol. Smile. Walk away.
Do not get sloppy. We repeat: do not get sloppy. Use the open bar to your advantage, but don’t abuse it. No one likes “that guy” at the party, especially when “that guy” wasn’t supposed to be there in the first place.
Be friendly. You don’t necessarily want to be the LIFE of the party, but you want people to show up to their work on Monday looking forward to seeing you (jokes on them- you won’t be there).
Go on a holiday themed pub tour. You can count on Charleston to give you the Annual Holiday Pub Crawl. A little history. Plenty of Christmas decor. Lots of delicious beer. All rolled into one. Sign us up! Or sign yourself up here.
We are going to go out on a LONG limb here and suggest caroling. It is an old tradition that is fading out quickly unfortunately, but could be oh so fun. This one is going to take a solid group- we mean either 4-8 very confident individuals (liquid courage can help with this) or a large pack of people. Maybe just run through your fun songs at least once before you venture out (just so you stay semi-cohesive). Now bundle up and get out there! It will also probably help to take a hot toddy with you. We promise once you get started you’ll have tons of fun. You can print the lyrics to all your favorite Christmas songs right here!
Our song recommendations (light and fun): Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, Frosty the Snowman, Jingle Bells, We Wish You a Merry Christmas, Deck the Halls, The Christmas Song, and Twelve Days of Christmas
Our song recommendations (actual carols): Away in a Manager, O Holy Night, Joy to the World, Little Drummer Boy, and Silent Night
Have you ever received a terrible Christmas present? No, no, no- us either, BUT if we did, we would throw a re-gifting party once the holidays have wrapped up. Why keep something you’ll never use? Waste not. Want not. That’s what we say. Plus another excuse to have another party to keep those post-holiday blues away! Find the rules here.
Host a Christmas cookie bake off! Individuals, couples, or groups enter and bake a batch of their favorite Christmas cookies. The baking of multiple batches of cookies can take some time, so while people tend to their fresh cookies, everyone should drink and be merry! Once the baking is complete, everyone taste tests the entries and votes for their favorite! Up the ante and give the winner a prize!
Our suggestions for possible prizes: a bottle of booze (there is a theme here), gift cards, baking gift basket (cookie cutters, cookie mixes, sprinkles, etc), Ozark bag cooler, tumblers, or an Amazon Echo. Who wouldn’t be thrilled with any of those things?!
Finally, perhaps a Favorite Things party is perfect for you and your friends. We are doing this with our book club this year and cannot wait! Here’s the concept:
Everyone decides on their current “favorite” thing to share with all the other attendees. Set a price point (ours is $5 -$10). Then everyone attending brings enough of their “favorite” item for everyone else. For example, if there are five total people attending the party (including you), then you bring four of your favorite thing to give to the others and vice versa.
For a larger party (maybe 6 or more people), have everyone bring three of their favorite thing and then each person draws three names of other attendees and gets one of their items.
Some ideas for favorite items: mugs, face masks, fuzzy socks, scarves, a certain snack, a scented lotion or chap-stick, bath bombs or bubble bath, make-up, hair products, books, tumblers, jewelry, journals, pens, nail polish, candles, gloves, hand soap, you name it! Whatever YOUR favorite thing is!
We love this idea because it can be as cheap or pricey as you want, but everyone goes home with fun goodies that all their friends are loving! Win win!
White Elephant Gift Exchanges are not Jesse’s favorite. ESPECIALLY when her gift gets stolen every turn. I’d hate to be on the other side of the shade she is throwing in this pic.
No matter what you decide to do this holiday season, we encourage you to stop stressing about presents and BE PRESENT! Go out with your besties, throw that ugly sweater on, bake some cookies, dance to the Christmas classics, and drink some wine!
