1. Catch up on TV.

Between my course load and my mom canceling my Hulu subscription, I fell behind on Grey’s Anatomy. Being home for a month gives me the perfect chance to convince my mom that now is a great time to renew the subscription and let me binge watch my shows.

2. Update your planner.

The Erin Condren LifePlanner I use to keep myself organized runs from January to December. Christmas break is a great time for me to prep my new planner for the next year without worrying about getting it done when the next semester starts.

3. Go see a new movie or rent one.

Going to the movie theater is one of my favorite things to do. I love movies and never had a chance to go to see a movie this semester. This break, I plan on going to see a few movies with my brothers like I used to before I went away to school.

4. Get a head start on next semester.

If you can do anything to get ahead on your course load next semester, I highly recommend it. I just decided to change my Justice Education minor to Computer Science and next semester I’m taking my first Python programming class. I know almost nothing about Python, except the fact that it’s one of the most widely used programming languages. Therefore, I plan on spending a decent amount of my break accustoming myself to the basics of Python so I’m not blindsided when I step into the classroom on January 16th.

5. Organize your computer.

I started out the semester with an organized filing system on my MacBook for saving all my assignments and papers, but towards the end of the year, I just saved my documents wherever. I now plan on organizing my files so that I can easily find whatever I may need next semester when updating my resume and portfolios.

6. Organize your inbox.

Basically do the same thing as number five, just with your email. I have over 1,000 emails in my inbox that I haven’t organized into my specific folders and it’s driving me crazy. I made inbox subfolders for a reason and I haven’t used them. Whoops.

7. Get some exercise.

I seriously slacked off this semester with exercising, but in all honesty, I hate typical workouts and I hate working out in a gym. Being at home is the perfect time for me to get exercise in through dance, whether it be a dance class or through playing Just Dance on the Xbox.

8. Catch up with old friends.

Most of my friends go to colleges in-state, so winter break is a great time for me to call any of them up and meet up over coffee or lunch.

9. Surprise your siblings at school.

If you’re like me, you can drive and have some type of access to a car. I love being able to go visit my old teachers at my schools and say hi to my brothers while I’m at it. Even better, surprise your siblings by picking them up rather than who usually does the job. Bonus points if you get them to sing along with you in the car.

10. Clean your room.

I know, I know…terrible idea. I hate it, too, but as I’ve said in some of my other articles, my room is a mess. As much as I don’t want to, I plan on taking a small amount of my break to clean my room.

11. Decorate the house.

The tree is probably already up in your house, but that doesn’t mean you can’t still help. If you usually have the entire house decorated for the holiday and those decorations aren’t already up, surprise your family and put the rest of them up.

12. Run errands.

Do your parents a favor and offer to run some errands to shorten their holiday to-do list. Go buy stamps to mail out the Christmas cards, mail out the Christmas cards, buy a couple of last minute Christmas gifts, or whatever else needs to be done. You’ll feel good that you did something to help out.

13. Do laundry.

I actually like doing laundry. I can toss a load in and then get something else done, like writing Odyssey articles! Do your own, do your mom’s, do your siblings’. Do whatever needs to be done!

14. Vacuum the house.

I wouldn’t go as far to say as cleaning the whole house because in all honesty, I most likely wouldn’t even do that myself. Vacuuming the house is a completely different story. It also helps keep everyone healthy. My brother is severely asthmatic and vacuuming helps get rid of the dust that makes it hard for him to breathe.

15. Go for a drive.

Driving is a great way for me to destress. Turning on the radio and driving around without having to be somewhere allows me to clear my head.

16. Check up on your personal finances.

I’m horrible about how I spend my money. One of my New Year’s Resolutions is to make a budget and stick to it. This break I’m going to make that budget so that it’s ready to go when I get back to school in January.

17. Read a book.

I love to read, but I don’t have nearly as much time for it as I used to. When I got home, I saw the stack of unread books I left behind and that gave me this idea. I’m driving up to Chicago later this week and this gives me the perfect chance to work on my reading list.

18. Go out to dinner with your family.

This is a great way to spend more time with your family. My family tends to go to Applebee’s when their appetizers are half off and order a bunch of those to share. Bonus: As long as your parents are coming, you probably won’t have to pay for dinner, either.

19. Make a new recipe.

I’m only a freshman, but I already hate the Saint Mary’s dining hall food. It’s the same thing and I’m just growing tired of it. I plan on decreasing my meal plan and one of the things I hope to do next semester is start cooking my own meals. Break is a great chance for me to practice not burning water and making actual food.