We are quickly approaching an entire month of no classes, and it is far too easy to fall into a pattern of doing almost nothing most days. Especially for those terribly empty first and last weeks of break where everyone save high school friends is at school or work, here are a few (mostly fun) must-do items for break so you feel like a functioning human and semi-productive member of society.
1. Get your Christmas prep done, ASAP!
I think I’ve got exactly two presents done.  Any ND friends are getting gifts after break, but family members apparently expect them on Christmas, which gives you 8 days to make or buy at least 5 good gifts.
2. Bake some cookies
Being home all day long, alone, is kind of the best time for this.  If you’re hosting any type of holiday party, your family will thank you, and you can try and leverage that to get out of washing the dishes afterward.
3. Watch an entire show
This may seem lazy, but if your little sister keeps nagging you to watch Stranger Things, you maybe need to be able to chat about it.  And when you’re back somewhere that thinks 10pm is an acceptable time to go to sleep, your internal clock will be keeping you up for a minimum of 2 extra hours, on a good night.
4. Go to the movies!
Because Arrival and Moana and Dr. Strange all happened this semester and I saw none of them.  I’m a little mad I didn’t get to this over Thanksgiving, but now we have four entire weeks.  Then I’ll probably miss Hidden Figures, but we can get to that over spring break.
5. Call some representatives in government
Look, this part is terrible. Â You may be tempted to completely ignore the news, and definitely do that for at least part of break, but then catch up on what you missed during the frenzied prep for finals. Â Figure out what you can be hopeful about, and what fills you with righteous anger. Â then call your reps and thank and/or call them to action accordingly. Their job is to represent you and everyone in your area, so get politically engaged and prove some stupid articles about millennials wrong.
6. See some old friends
Okay, this might be unusual, but two and a half years out of high school I see one little group of friends every Christmas break and we go ice skating.  In the summer, we go on a picnic.  Another friend and I grab lunch every break, without fail.  However, restrict this narrowly.  Make sure you only see people you actually, actively want to see.  Don’t feel obliged to see every friend you had upon graduation, sometimes these things just fade into oblivion.
7. Check in on the family gossip
Sometimes this is effective over the phone, but my immediate family is reluctant to share this intel.  Ask your gossipy aunt or little sister the news.  Remember to ask if any of the cousins are engaged, pregnant, or had a kid in the four months you were gone (Yes, I’ve had three cousins all have big news in one semester, and parents who forgot to mention it for weeks.)
8. Sleep in, sometimes
Take the first few days after finals and travel to sleep and recover, but then try to be up by 10 or so every day.  Sleeping until the garage door opens at 2pm when your sister gets home from school may seem nice, but then you screw up your circadian rhythm and can’t sleep until 4am and it’s a never ending cycle.
9. Apply for internships
Yeah, deadlines for some cool or well-paying ones are probably quickly approaching and empty days without actual assignments are the ideal time to get these done.​
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