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This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Rutgers chapter.

With winter approaching and COVID-19 cases on the rise, it has never been more important to stay connected safely. With the warm weather and the ability to congregate outside disappearing quickly, here are some fun activities to stay connected with friends.

 

Dungeons and Dragons

Dungeons and Dragons is an extremely popular tabletop role-playing game that’s been around since the ’80s. It has exploded in popularity in recent years due to being featured in shows like Stranger Things and popular actual play podcasts like Critical Role and The Adventure Zone. With the basic rules free online and resources on how to get started all over YouTube, it is a great way to connect with friends. While you might not be able to meet in person, you can meet once a week online and pretend to be anyone you want, in an entirely different world.

 

Netflix Party

Netflix Party is a chrome extension that allows you to have a chatbox next to whatever it is that you are watching. It is especially fun with bad horror movies and movies you can make fun of if you miss the in-person commentary with friends.

Crafting circles

You and your friends can all decide on a new hobby or craft to take up, and meet up over Zoom to show your progress. Some friends and I have all started to knit, and with a nice cup of hot chocolate, it feels like we are all together. We go over patterns, where we feel like we are messing up, and how to get better.

Book Club/ TV club

With lots of great new books already out and coming out this month, you and some friends can go through it little by little each week and provide commentary. My friends and I have been doing the same thing with some TV shows on Hulu and Netflix. We go through about 3 episodes a week and meet up on Zoom to discuss.

Winter can be an already lonely time of year, and this year has many negative and scary predictions. Just because we cannot be with our loved ones in person, that does not mean we cannot be together. It is so important to find new ways keep in touch with the people we care about, and you might just find a new favorite activity along the way.

Katy is a student, community organizer, and artist. She is passionate about justice, history, popular culture, and how they are connected. You can contact her at katydoescrafts@gmail.com or katydoescrafts on Instagram and twitter.
Aishwarya Sridhar is a senior at Rutgers University majoring in Cell Biology & Neuroscience and double minoring in Psychology and Health & Society. You can usually find her studying in a library or curled up on her favorite couch with a cup of coffee and a good book.