An oldie but a goodie, this article, by Kelli Eichorn, was originally published on Dec. 9, 2013.
I’m sure the stress of finals has kicked in. Everyone is dying to go home and sleep for an eternity, but after a few days, being home will become excruciatingly boring and you will turn to Twitter to complain about how “there’s literally nothing to do in this town!”
Then you’ll resort to the standard at-home activities: spending more time exercising, cuddling with Netflix, making your parents take you shopping and rekindling an old flame at your “high school reunion” parties. The fun of those things will die down, and you’ll notice only a week has passed, so here are a few suggestions on what to do this winter break:
Apply
What better time to think about getting involved than when you’re bored of laying on your couch watching re-runs of Friends? Winter break is the best time to fill out all of those applications you “didn’t have time for” during the semester. Whether it’s a summer internship, an organization at UF, a part-time job to pay for your drinks, or a real life oh-no-I’m-graduating job, you can finally dedicate some undisturbed time to bettering your future self. Don’t have any desire to get some sort of job? That’s cool too. There are plenty of scholarships you can apply for towards upcoming semesters. Save precious hours at the library for actual studying and do this when you get home.
Read
I know that some people say reading for pleasure is “totally not cool,” but… those people are wrong. After a long semester of reading anatomy or history textbooks that put you to sleep you may never want to open a book again, but here’s my challenge: visit the nearest Barnes & Noble and pick a few titles. Recreational reading is not only relaxing but also brain fuel. Check out our must-read books list for some great titles to dig into.
Give Back
In the spirit of giving, what better way to spend your holiday season than volunteering for your community? There are a number of different activities you can get involved in no matter where your hometown is. You can easily Google local soup kitchens, animal hospitals, nursing homes, or children’s homes. Too lazy to get hands on? You should consider donating money, books, toys, or food to non-profit organizations in need. It doesn’t take much, and it’ll give you some good karma points with the man upstairs.
Travel
With almost an entire month off, there’s more than enough time to plan a last minute road trip. Hate spending winter without getting to play in the snow? Beg your parents to go visit your “beloved” family members up north! Tired of spending time with your parents? Plan a quick road trip to visit some old friends, or celebrate New Year’s Eve somewhere new. Get out of the house, city, or state for a little and make some memories this winter. You don’t want to spend all break stalking everyone’s Facebook photos and being depressed that you didn’t even bother to leave the house.
In the end, we all know that every conversation the first week of spring semester will start with “How was your break? Did you do anything exciting?” So whatever you end up doing this holiday season, at least make it interesting.
