Holiday Hibernation Hobbies

If there was ever a week we would ask you to NOT come and see us, it would be this week. Trust us, we’ll always be here. Instead, you should be staying home, getting cozy and making plans for the holidays. With the CDC’s recent recommendation for people to refrain from traveling this winter, it’s going to be difficult for many of us to celebrate and eat with our families from Thanksgiving to Valentine’s.

However, where there is a will, there’s a way. Bet you didn’t think you’d be getting IT advice from your local optometry office, but then again: we all wear glasses and know a thing or two about being on the cutting edge of technology.

So how can you celebrate the holidays without having to leave the house?

First, install Zoom. Zoom has been an absolute must-have program on your computer or smart device that allows you to video call anyone, anywhere and works well with groups of people. Many of our work-from-homers and virtual learners will already have this program, but if you don’t, we highly recommend it. We also found a helpful tutorial on how you can get started. If you’ve already used Zoom and are kinda over it, there’s still plenty of other activities.

Other apps like WatchParty allow you to watch anything online with friends and family. Start a room, add your friends, find whatever content you want to watch together, and then… watch together! Jackbox Games is another great way to connect with friends. These games are collaborative and easy to play. One person starts a game, shares a simple 4-digit code with anyone they want to play with, and they can join the game through their web browser.

If being online isn’t your style, there’s always board games. Our favorite board game spot, The Glass Die, has hundreds of games to choose from. Per state mandate, they aren’t allowing gaming inside their establishment, but they still have tons of board games on their website that you can buy online and pick up in-store!

Next: the food. Holiday food is iconic and without it, there really is no holiday! For a lot of big box stores and some grocery stores, you can order food ahead of time and pick it up. But if getting past the front door is too much to ask, we really like using Instacart. For those unfamiliar with the service, it’s like having a personal shopper. You pick out what you want/need on the app and someone will pick it up and deliver it all to you.

For dessert especially, all three of our favorite bakeries allow you to order online. Perenn Bakery, Mix Bakeshop, and Hömage all have wonderful pies, pastries, and other amazing baked goods.

Finally, you can’t forget the cozy part. Sure, there’s countless ways to get cozy this winter. From burying yourself in throw blankets to sitting by the fire (or radiator, or space heater, or large cat) to sitting on the couch and binge-watching your favorite shows. But our favorite way to get cozy is with a nice book. Sundance Books is the go-to bookstore we all know and love, and little know their online store is pretty expansive. Not only can they deliver books to you, but they can also order books they don’t usually have in stock.

If you’re staying indoors this holiday season, it’s easy to miss family and feel cabin fever. But with these recommendations, you can hibernate in comfort and style. Stay warm and stay safe this holiday season!

Photo by Lisa Fotios from Pexels