Socially distanced activities to get you in the festive spirit

Christmas is about getting together, connecting with each-other and having fun. While social distancing may interfere with many of our usual habits and traditions, there are still a collection of ways that you can make this time of year special. Here are just a few activities that will help you feel the Christmas spirit:

1. Get crafty!

Why not get the household together and create some crafty Christmas gifts for your friends and family? I found making and painting small clay models with my household to be particularly therapeutic, despite it being my first time touching clay since being a sprog in primary school. You could also take up crocheting, macramé, or handwritten letters. It doesn’t have to be a masterpiece, but a handmade meaningful present for your special someone goes a long way.

2. The beauty of the internet

Thankfully due to technology, we are no longer doomed to loneliness when we aren’t physically with anyone during Christmas. Brighten up your day with a group zoom call. You can do a Christmas quiz, tell terrible jokes from crackers, host a themed scavenger hunt, or just chat! Or if you’ve been dying to watch a Christmas movie but hate the thought of doing it alone, use Netflix Party to watch a movie with others online.

3. Delicious Christmas food

One of the best things about Christmas is nationwide permission to eat as if your life depends on it. Having Christmas dinner with your household gives you chance to gorge yourself on delicious gravy-soaked meal as well as have a special day of celebration. Accompany with your favourite Christmas desserts such as tasty mince pies or sugar-dusted yule log. Alternatively, nothing feels more Christmassy than drinking a warm, spiced mulled wine on a chilly winter’s evening.

4. Dress to impress

We’ve all spent far more time than usual in our slouchy loungewear, attending zoom meetings naked-from the waist down or just not changing out of our pyjamas. What’s the point of getting dressed when we’ve got nowhere to go? Wrong! Whether you’re more partial to a shiny black dress or an ugly Christmas jumper, this is the time to make yourself look glamorous.

5. Gather a hamper for the less fortunate

Christmas is part of the season of giving, and although we may be socially distanced there are still ways in which you can help your local community. Getting a hamper together for a local homeless shelter is one way in which you can help those in need while clearing out your cupboard. Donate tin cans, cakes, books, warm clothes, bathroom sets, chocolate, and more to your local homeless shelter to help a fellow human in need.

Edited by Pia Cooper