Here at Millersville, and most Pennsylvania state schools, our winter break is roughly five weeks long. Admittedly this is quite a long time, and as much as I'd like to do nothing the whole break, I know that's not exactly the best for my brain. My freshman year I took one course over winter and it kept me busy enough, but I still lazed around a lot. The same thing happened sophomore year. This year I'm taking two courses over break, which should keep me slightly busier, but in the case that it's not enough I've started making a bucket list of sorts for myself.

Now, over the summer, I always try to make some type of bucket list of things to do over the three months of vacation, but new plans always arise and my schedule is constantly shifting. In the summer there is so much more to do on a day to day basis because of nicer weather and opportunities that can arise because of the weather. In the winter there's not a lot to do, unless you're big into winter sports or have found a seasonal job that's really got you busy. My online winter courses usually give me an hour or two of things to do per day, and I'm assuming this year will be the same with maybe a little more work. This year I got the idea to make a winter bucket list while I was home over Thanksgiving break, and was actually sparked by a conversation that my mom and I were having. We were going back and forth listing things we should try to get done this winter. After that conversation I started keeping a checklist on my phone, with most of the activities to be done with my family.

1. First I plan to catch up on all the movies my mom and I said we would go see but never did. So far, we have "The Girl on the Train," "The Secret Life of Pets," and all of the new Christmas Hallmark movies that came out this season. If you can't tell, my mom and I really enjoy movie nights, and occasionally my dad and brother will join us.

2. See "Rogue One" with my brother! My brother and I are avid Star Wars fans, and last year we went to see "The Force Awakens" and we spared no expense and opted to go see it in IMAX 3D. This year my last final is on the 15th and "Rogue One" premieres that midnight. We haven't finalized our plans yet, but if we don't see it the first premier night we will definitely be going at some point this weekend!

3. My family really likes bowling, and I've got two very competitive parents. My dad's birthday is on December 17th and my mom's is on January 4th, so essentially I've got one parent with a birthday the week before Christmas and one parent with a birthday the week after. This year, I'm hoping to go bowling for both of my parents birthdays, as well as on a couple other days. Bowling with my family is always such a fun time, and I feel like it would definitely be a blast to make it a winter tradition to go for my parent's birthdays. I would also like to go bowling with my friend groups back at home, again, because it is such a fun thing to do and it's easy to get people together to go bowling.

4. Learn how to make more things from scratch. I have a few food items I can make from scratch, but I'd like to expand that, mainly because I get bored making the same things over and over again. I also feel like learning how to make some Christmas-y desserts from scratch could really get my in the Christmas spirit.

5. Be more craftsy! I always feel like making things, but I never know what to make. I'm not exactly artistically gifted so that also limits what I can make. Luckily for me, there is Pinterest which gives me plenty of ideas and things to try out! I feel like making some cute Christmas decorations is another thing that could get me feeling especially Christmas-y. the couple weeks I have free in January will also give me an opportunity to get some new dorm decorations!

The past few Christmases I've also felt like I haven't been in the Christmas spirit and that Christmas is just another holiday to get through. I'm hoping that these things I've put on my list will also help me get more excited for the holiday. I'm not sure if I've been feeling this way because Christmas has become more focused on material goods, but I'm hoping spending time with family and friends and taking time to try some new things for myself will regenerate the normal warm feelings I associate with Christmas as well as January.