For those who celebrate it, the holiday months should be filled with jolly spirit and Christmas activities. We have ideas to bring up that Christmas spirit and have fun things to do this holiday season!
“You should definitely do fun Christmas activities during the holiday season to share the magical time with your family and friends, otherwise why even celebrate Christmas?” said junior Sabrina Zamora.
Here are our top 10 picks of favorite activities to do during Christmas time:
Visit Santa
This is a fun way to add a little Christmas spirit to your life this holiday season. Visit Santa and tell him all the things you want for Christmas and before you leave make sure you get a photo!
“It was fun! It is really important to see Santa to tell him what presents you wish to see under your tree on Christmas, overall I think everyone should experience it,” said senior Nadia Contreas.
You can visit Santa in many places such as Bass Pro Shop, Fox Valley Mall, Blackberry Farm, Outlet Mall, Santa’s House (Downtown Geneva), Santa’s Workshop (Naperville), and many more.
Watch Christmas Movies
People find watching Christmas movies all year round very fun, but around Christmas time it can bring your spirit to the next level. There are various types of Christmas movies such as Hallmark movies, Disney Christmas movies, scary Christmas movies, cartoons, and comedies. You can watch movies in the comfort of your home with popcorn and hot chocolate or with friends and family.
“Watching Christmas movies gets you in the Christmas spirit. My favorite one is National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation,” said senior Ashley Jezewski.
Shopping
Shopping around the Christmas season can be fun and help you find great deals. Many stores give big discounts and run major sales around the holiday season. Along with the huge savings to your wallet, it can be a fun activity to do with friends or family or a trip with both! Some malls near Oswego are Fox Valley Mall in Aurora (about 20 minutes from OHS), Chicago Premium Outlets in Aurora (about 25 minutes), Louis Joliet Mall in Joliet (about 25 minutes), Oakbrook Center in Oakbrook (about 40 Minutes), The Promenade in Bolingbrook (about 30 minutes), and Woodfield Mall in Schaumburg (about 55 minutes).
I (Mary) personally love going shopping around the holidays. I feel it’s a fun experience and activity to do with friends and family. Not only is it an experience, but there are also usually pretty good deals so I’m also saving money on gifts for others.
Tree Lightings
We are lucky enough to live in the windy city which means that we have plenty of holiday traditions and lighting ceremonies! A closer location for a tree lighting ceremony/walk is the Philips Park Festival of Lights. It is Nov. 24 – Dec. 25 from 5:00 PM – 9:00 PM in Phillips Park Ray Moses Dr. It is the largest outdoor drive-through light festival in the area, and is free! If you’re looking for something farther away, the Chicago Millenium Park tree lighting ceremony and fireworks are a great time out. For more information on it, click here.
“Going to tree lightings is fun and pretty, it makes me feel joyful and spirited,” said senior Hailey Peterson.
Gingerbread House Battles
Building a gingerbread house is simply fun to do yourself but there are ways to bring the competition to the next level. You can have a group of people team up and go head to head with two or three teams to structure and decorate their house to the best of their ability and everyone has creative freedom and see whose house wins. Another way to have a battle is for everyone to make their own house with their design ideas and compete.
I (Mary) have done a gingerbread house battle with my friends and it turned out very fun and messy. Don’t get me wrong, the mess wasn’t horrible, but there was some frosting on the floor. Overall, the competitive side was fun along with teaming up with my friends to make a gingerbread house masterpiece.
Write A Letter to Santa
Do you believe in Santa? If not, you are lame and it is understandable why you are reading this article. Whether the letter is from you (which is doubtful) or a loved one, keeping the spirit of Santa Claus alive is ideal for the younger generations. We have seen the Christmas spirit diminish over the years and it is quite disheartening. So, grab some colorful cardstock paper and a glitter gel pen and get to writing.
“Writing a letter to Santa is a crucial part of people’s childhoods as it enhances childhood memories,” said senior Keira Frey.
Holiday Game Night
Play games with your friends and family to fill your free time and make it feel like Christmas. Some holiday games you could play are holiday-themed charades, holiday trivia, Christmas bingo, Candy Canes (spoons but Christmas style), Christmas Saran Wrap, Name that Christmas Song, Snowball fights, and many more.
“I love playing a variety of holiday games with my family, it makes the holiday break enjoyable,” said senior Audrey LaFountain.
Volunteer
There are always opportunities to volunteer all year round. Around Christmas, more people decide to give a helping hand to others in the community and donate their time, money, food, and gifts. Some opportunities in our community to volunteer this holiday season are the West Suburban Community Pantry, Kendall County Food Pantry, Feed My Starving Children, Salvation Army, various shelters, and many more.
“It’s important to volunteer during the holidays to help people in need in the community, I really enjoy doing this so I can help make people’s holidays memorable, we have opportunities through the school to donate gifts to families in the community,” said senior Brenna McCumber.
Visit Christkindlemarket
I (Raelyn) work at Christkindlemarket in the Kathe Wolfhart tent! There are a variety of tents selling numerous items all around. Experiencing another culture is always an experience, especially during the holidays. And if you want a taste of Germany, this place is for you. While the attraction itself might cost an arm and a leg, entering is free! The attraction itself is super fun and a great place to go Christmas shopping.
So so cute! Amazing job!