This year, I get to fulfill a lifelong dream: I get to have the entire holiday season off.
That’s right, for three weeks in December, I am work-free. So, until New Years, I am going full force in decking the halls, roasting chestnuts, foiling the Wet Bandits and all that.
How am I so lucky? Well, my dear readers, all you have to do to get such a long, luxurious December vacation is move Los Angeles and work in a crazy industry that is essentially freelance and chronically temporary. In short, film and television projects always finish, jobs always have an end, and shows always wrap. So, until my current show comes back for another season (or until pilot season begins, or until Ben Affleck comes to my door with a sack full of money and an offer to direct me in a script I wrote…) I get to take December to be chilling out, maxing, relaxing all cool… perhaps I’ll even be shooting some b-ball outside of the school.
It should be noted that I have the privilege of being un-paid during this time off (yay?), and while I have done my part in saving for this holiday time, I also have to be wise with my spending and in my attempts at enjoying the season. Also, with this extended time off, I can also go through the cliché holiday rituals pretty quickly.
So, for all these reasons and more, I am bringing you:
Cheap, Creative Ways To Enjoy Your Holiday Vacation
- Holiday Wikipedia Sink Hole – Crank up Pandora Christmas Music Radio, grab yourself a cup of hot cocoa and then dive into the Santa Claus Wikipedia page. Learn about how this “ho, ho, ho” lore came to be and once you’re done, feel free to click away at Santa song origins, other story origins, Rudolph’s wiki, holiday movies, and let the glorious winter hours melt away!
- Holiday Beer Tasting – Grab a selection of winter themed beers, sip and rate. (Variation: Christmas wines.)
- Become A Holidays Singing Pro– Listen to holiday music and pick up on all the 3rd jumps in the melody. Practice singing this harmony part, master it, make it your bitch. Then, whenever spontaneous carols emerge at your various work/family holiday gathering, you can wow your singing partners with some redic singing game. (Easy beginner harmonies: Silent Night, Oh Christmas Tree, Deck the Halls.)
- Convert Old Holiday VHS Tapes To DVDs – DVDs are cheap, give yourself a project! Especially if you have movies that were taped off the TV, it’s better to convert than to just buy the new DVD version, because with the conversion you get to keep the commercials, which is half the fun of watching them!
- Sleep-a-thon – Exactly what it sounds like.
- Random Acts Of Kindness – You know the drill: grab quarters and fill a bunch of people’s meters, buy the person behind you at Starbucks and cup of coffee, shovel your neighbor’s driveway when it snows… you know, stuff that makes you feel good.
- People Watch At The Mall Santa – Yeah, but like, don’t be creepy about it.
- If I Could Buy Anything Game – With a friend, go window shopping, and at each window pick one thing you would buy for someone as a gift. The more ridiculous, the better. (Note: You can also do this game by browsing the front page of various sites: Amazon, Etsy, Target…)
- Home Spa Day – Take a long bath, wear your most comfy pjs, brush you hair and put nice conditioner in it, paint your toes…
- Practice The Story You Are Going To Tell At All Your Holiday Gatherings – Try to make it under 3 minutes, with a good balance of drama, humor, suspense, and then make sure to end it with a solid punch line.
- Work Out To Home Alone – Basic Plan: Whenever you see people running, do cardio. Whenever you see trickery, lift some weights. Whenever you see a gold tooth, plank for 30 seconds. Add stuff as you see fit. : )
- Read Up/View Up – Look up the most popular movies, songs, news topics, sporting events and stories of the year and have one thought on everything so you can participate in every conversation imaginable.
- Go See Star Wars – because after you do, nothing else will matter.
Happy Holidays, Everyone! Here’s to a wonderful new year!
– One L
“Say goodnight, Kevin.”
“Goodnight, Kevin.”
In the Sun with Alison 