10 ways to enjoy some time off during the winter holidays

It’s the first day of December which means the holiday season is well underway and you’re probably busy prepping for gatherings, shopping, and making a little holiday magic happen. While you’re making spirits bright, spreading holiday cheer, and checking things off your holiday lists – don't forget this one magical thing... taking a break.

We know it can be hard to take a break and slow down, especially as an entrepreneur, but it is SO important. We’ve thought up 10 ways you can enjoy some time off during the winter holidays – even if it’s just a short break.

Visit a holiday market

During this time of year there are so many holiday markets! Visiting a holiday market is a great way to spend a morning, an afternoon, or a night! You can discover new businesses, try delicious food, take advantage of a photo opportunity, meet Santa, and you may even find a unique and great gift for someone (even if that someone is yourself).

Make a gingerbread house

Making a gingerbread house can be so much fun – even if it doesn’t look the greatest. You can even challenge your friends or family to see who can build the best gingerbread house like this TikTok user Lex’s boyfriend’s family did. By the way, National Gingerbread House Day is on December 12th – so that’s the perfect day to create your next masterpiece!

Have a holiday movie marathon

Did you really celebrate the holidays if you didn’t watch a holiday movie?! December 23rd is National Christmas Movie Marathon Day – which means it’s the perfect day to stay in, curl up, grab some snacks, and have a movie marathon! Need some inspiration for your marathon movie list? Check out this list of the 100 Best Christmas Movies by Rotten Tomatoes.

Spend some time outside

Do you want to build a snowman?

We get it, it’s cold, but that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy some time outside this winter. Bundle up, build a snowman, go sledding or skating, and have some fun!

Bake cookies

Whether you want to keep them all to yourself or if you want to share – baking cookies is the perfect way to spend an evening. Pick up your favourite cookie dough from brands like Pillsbury or whip up something from scratch!

Try a drive-thru experience

Every year there are a bunch of drive-thru holiday light displays and experiences, so jump in the car and take a drive to check one out! Are you in Ontario? Check out this list of displays!

Give Back

The giving season is the perfect time to give back! Need an idea on how to give back? You can volunteer somewhere or do a random act of kindness.

Have a game night

Gather up your friends or family and have a game night! Make sure to grab some snacks too!

Check out the holiday lights

Over the last few years, I’ve started to take in all the local holiday lights and displays. Take a nice walk and check out how your neighbours have decked out their homes and yards, or drive around and look at the lights! You never know what you may find! One-night years ago, we stumbled upon Kringlewood, a neighbourhood with A LOT of 14-foot inflatable Santas – we’re talking nearly every home had one. Seeing it for the first time and not knowing what it was, was a bizarre but fun experience. Last year, we found a local home with a massive light display timed to a station you could access on your car radio!  While those are a few I’ve encountered, there are tons of fun sights and lights to discover!

Prioritize time to do nothing

Sometimes you just want to stay in and do nothing. No leaving the house, no making food, no busy holiday plans… and you know what? That’s perfectly fine!

Going out? Not today.

Chores? I don’t know her.

You deserve some time to just rest and do nothing.

Now, we couldn’t leave you with just that, we wanted to share a few bonus tips to help GIVE yourself a break...

First, prepare ahead of time. That’s right, prep really helps! One way to prepare ahead of time is to give yourself a list of tasks and prioritize what you need done. Another tip for entrepreneurs is to automate when you can! If you’re posting on social media, try using a social media scheduling platform like Sendible to schedule and automatically post your social media content.

Second, set boundaries, expectations, and your auto-response message. If you’re planning to take a day (or more) off, tell people so they know what to expect. If you can’t or don’t want to take on more, set boundaries. And don’t forget to set your “Out of Office” response messages so people can know you’re away but will get back to them when you can!

However, you spend your time during the winter holidays, we hope you take some time off, have some fun, and get some rest!