7 Fun Things You Can Do for Christmas This Year

Christmas is truly the most wonderful time of the year !
Good food, gifts, gatherings with family & friends, freshly baked cookies and the thought of a jolly old bearded Man circling the globe distributing presents. What’s there not to love?

Covid, that’s what.
There’s no doubt the pandemic has been dampener of sorts to the holiday season, putting the world in lockdown and isolating some of us from our dearests.
But no worries, There ain’t no pandemic that’s gonna ruin our Christmas cheer!

It’s true that this year will be a quieter round of celebrations with stricter restrictions and limited interactions but nonetheless, we’re still much excites!

Here, we’ve put together a fun list of things you can do to get into the spirit of Christmas! And all while staying safe and cosy from the comforts of your home.

Let the festivities begin !

Curate a Christmas playlist

What is Christmas without its carols. If anything, the Christmas songs that they play in malls are the main indicator that the holiday season is approaching. There is something about a Christmas jingle that really gets everyone in the mood. Show me someone who does not sing along to All I Want for Christmas is You by Mariah Carey , and I’ll show you a holiday Grinch.

Get the festive mood going by creating your own Christmas playlist on Spotify! Trust us, it is a surprisingly fun and satisfying process customizing your own list of songs. You can curate different playlists of different genres for different occasions. And once you’re done you can even share it with family & friends or that special someone for the next gathering, karaoke session or just to spread some Christmas joy. Cause Spotify playlists are the millennial mixtape! Fa lalalala lalalalaaa

Here’s a list to get you going!

Christmas classics: White Christmas by Bing Crosby

Modern ballad: I’ll be Home for Christmas by Michael Buble

Christmas Pop: Jingle Bell Rock, Mean Girls version

Acoustic Christmas: Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas by Daniela Andrade

Christmas Lofi: Christmas Lofi Music playlist, compiled by Audrie Storme

2. Christmas facial session

It’s coming to the end of an oddly, crazy year and we all know that our skin needs that extra pampering. On top of all that pandemic stress, it doesn’t help that facial sessions at our fave beauticians have to be limited and that face masks have added ‘maskne’ (mask acne) to our list of skin issues.

Set aside a weekend and give your skin some much needed TLC with these 5 Skincare tips by having a DIY facial spa & skincare session at home. Light up an aromatherapy candle (personal fav would be the White Tea scented Candle from Hooga), play that Christmas playlist you curated earlier and you’re good to go! Flawless crystal skin that would make Frosty the Snowman melt.

3. Christmas Movie Marathon

Ahh… nothing like a wholesome, feel-good Christmas movie to invoke them holiday vibes .

Most of us would think of rom-coms when we say Christmas movies. The ones where we’ve probably seen the same plot done over in different ways a million times: Successful but single city girl who hates the holidays falls for down-to-earth guy who reminds her of the magic of the season. It’s a Christmas miracle! We believe! And we’ll watch it again year after year in a jingle.

Though good-sort of cringey, rom-coms aren’t the only holiday movies out there! There are a wide range of movies perfect for the holiday season to explore varying from murder mystery to family musicals, & so on.

So gather your loved ones and have some warm blankets & popcorn ready and check out Areel.reviews‘s Top 7 Christmas Movies to watch this Christmas!

4. Create Christmas Crafts

Explore your creative side and get artsy this holiday season. Ditch the idea that you’re not born a creative soul, and go try something new!

There is no good art or bad art. Art is art. Said no one ever but #truth.

Joy comes from the process of creating something out of nothing and with so many beautifully wonderful ways to be creative, we’re sure you’ll find something that you’ll love. Not to mention homemade crafts are always a good idea for personalised gifts. Here’s a few unconventional artsy things to give a try this holiday season!

Kokedama – a Japanese garden art, which literally translates to a ‘Ball of Moss‘, a perfect little indoor plant for every home. Also, if you are heading to Penang, Malaysia this holiday season, Mátural, a contemporary bonsai studio in Penang offers Kokedama workshops and high tea along with it! Just the perfect holiday activity 🙂
Journaling, or also known as Bujo (Bullet Journaling) is such a great way to pen down your thoughts while letting your creativity flourish on the plain dotted pages. This is also a great hobby to pick up because you can easily get pocket-friendly pens & stationaries from your local bookstores or online at Shopee or Lazada. Here are some of our favourite Bujo inspiration & tutorial videos from Reflect with Raksha or Amanda Rach Lee.
Deco-patch – an art technique which includes sticking decorative papers onto an object with glue. This is a great Christmas activity for kids too. Check out Cziplee SouthKey for some open Decopatch sessions !
Macrame – a popular crafting technique using materials – similar to the one from your drawstring bag. From coasters, to bags and plant holders..its usages are endless!
Calligraphy – try customising your Christmas Cards! There are plenty of beginner tutorials on youtube.
Origami – sustainability is in fashion! Instead of buying new Christmas ornaments, why not make your own? 🙂

5. Random Acts of Kindness

‘Tis the Season of Giving!
Did you know that giving not only benefits others but ourselves too? Research have shown that we experience more happiness that is longer-lasting when we chose to give to others rather than receiving for ourselves. Warm, fuzzy feelings explained.

The pandemic has affected all of us in one way or another, though some unfortunately have it worse than others. So if you are able, why not help out thy fellow neighbour. Donate to an NGO with a cause close to your heart, sponsor a meal for a struggling friend, get grocery essentials for a B40 family, or treat the mak cik cleaner/pak cik guard to a teh tarik. And remember, random acts of kindness does not necessarily have to be in the monetary form! You can even offer up your time and/or skills to do something nice for others. Offer have a holiday house clean-up for an elderly neighbour, volunteer at an animal shelter or old folks’ home, teach tuition to refugee children, or just sit down to have a heart-to-heart conversation with someone you know needs it.

The ways to be kind is endless and we’re sure you can think of more ways you can best utilize your time, money and talent to be a blessing to those around you. Even the smallest of acts can make the biggest of difference & it would definitely make someone’s holidays this year a whole lot merrier.

6. Whip up a Christmas Dinner

I don’t care what anyone says but food should be a love language. So what better way to express your love for your family & friends (or even yourself cause girl, you deserve self love too) than to cook up something delicious. Plan a simple dinner to spread the Christmas spirit around . Good food, good times, amirite. And since not all of us can execute a Christmas turducken on the first try, why not start with something simple like a pasta dish & dessert?

You can even go all out and dress the food up with some fun Christmas themed deco. Serve your guests on fancy red plates with Christmas themed serviettes, add a little candy cane here and there, bring out that Christmas tree and tadaa! You have a Christmas Feast! Fit for all of Santa & his elves!

But please don’t stress yourself out in the kitchen, Christmas time cooking should be fun ! And I’m sure you will be already very loved by your human hamsters for providing them with food.

7. Christmas workout

Let’s face it, the holidays are fun and a great time for feasting and all but those calories consumed have to end up somewhere. The food either goes to waste or goes to waist. Burn all those extra holiday calories by sweating it out! Go hiking, or for a run around the park or do a home workout to your favourite Christmas songs. The endorphins released after a good sweat session will only add to the Christmas cheer. Not to mention, it’ll be an excuse for that extra serving of Christmas dessert. Earn it, baby!

There is no shortage of awesome Christmas themed workouts, from dance to regular cardio or tone-up workouts! Here are some other great workouts that you can try out with your friends:

Blogilates – Christmas Cardio Workout

Pamela Reif – 10 mins Christmas Dance workout

Millionaire Hoy -30 mins Holiday Tabata Workout

And there you have it, 7 fun things to try out this Christmas! Whether you’re spending the holidays with family or away from home this year, we hope you’ll have a magical one !

xoxo,

Team Gudeiary