The holidays are stressful. Whether it’s finding last minute presents, figuring out holiday plans with friends and family, or navigating tricky family relationships, the holidays can be hard. However, it is also a time to come together, despite any complications throughout the year. It’s a time to be with family and friends and to ring in the new year with celebrations of all that you have accomplished this year.
One way that you can have a stress free break is by spending quality time with family and friends. Some have holiday traditions like decorating gingerbread houses, having a Christmas movie marathon, doing a Secret Santa gift exchange, or traveling somewhere like New York where Christmas is the event of the year!
“I love to bake brownies with my family during Christmas break. It’s our little tradition,” says senior Diana Uzun.
Whether you have traditions or not, doing fun activities with family and friends can instantly fill you with holiday spirit.
Spending time with those you love can remind you of all the people in your life who support you, plus nothing beats a hilarious White Elephant gift exchange!
Senior Chloe Nydam says, “My friends and I like to make gingerbread houses together every year, and my family and I love to go get our Christmas tree and decorate it together! I also go Christmas shopping often by myself so I can get gifts for my family and friends.”
Receiving and giving gifts to loved ones can also make your holiday break worthwhile. Whatever you celebrate, gift giving is an activity that everyone can participate in. Giving someone a gift that you put a lot of thought and energy into can make their day. Planning a meaningful gift for someone will make them feel special and loved and it is more fun when the gift means something.
Additionally, participating in Secret Santa or White Elephant gift exchanges can make for a fun, festive gift giving game. Secret Santa is a classic gift giving game and it’s so fun finding out who you get to buy a gift for as well as who secretly got you a gift. And of course, White Elephant is notorious for causing chaos when someone receives the perfect gift and gets it ripped away in seconds when someone decides to steal it. Both of these gift exchanges leave you with fond memories of a magical, festive holiday season.
You can also have a relaxing Christmas break by simply driving around town to look at all of the Christmas lights on display. The Santa Barbara Zoo, the Santa Barbara Trolley Co., Hope Ranch, and the Santa Barbara Harbor all have marvelous light displays available for anyone to see! As you drive through some neighborhoods, they may even have a radio station you can tune in to to listen to holiday music. Cruising around town all night looking at lights with friends or loved ones can make for a fun December evening.
Overall, whatever you plan to do during break, it is a time to relax, de-stress, and spend time with friends and family. While everyone’s year has had its ups and downs, the holidays are a time to live in the moment and look forward to the new year ahead. So whether you are traveling this holiday season or staying in town, this break should be a time for you to celebrate the holidays and do nothing but sip hot chocolate and watch “Elf” on repeat. Happy Holidays!
