Lockdown is here, but there are still plenty of ways to lift your spirits.
Christmastime is usually for drinks with friends and family but this year we’ll have to get creative with our lockdown activities. Here are a few ideas to brighten this year’s Christmas and while away the days until people celebrate together once again. Sometimes baking your own cookies sounds like Heaven on Earth, but other times a lazy day in front of the TV is just right instead.
1. Grow your own snowflakes
We’ve all cut out little chains of snowmen or snowflakes when we were kids and it’s an activity that never quite loses its appeal. However, have you ever grown your own snowflake from borax? You can buy the ingredients at local grocery stores, which are still open during lockdown, and it’s guaranteed to fascinate you as it grows onto the string. You can find methods for making borax snowflakes online and it’s a great way to keep kids entertained too.
2. Have a videocall Christmas party
We don’t all relish the working day but Christmas parties are one of the year’s highlights and this year they’re off the cards. Nevermind, we can still create our own virtual Christmas parties and invite whomever we please! Why not have some Christmas crackers and a nice glass of mulled wine ready for your videocall? Then, just sit back and enjoy each others’ company. Lockdown life doesn’t have to be boring, after all.
3. Play some online boardgames
Boardgames aren’t everybody’s idea of fun, but there exists a boardgame for everyone. Plus, there are far more options online for you to explore the exciting world of board games without having to put all the pieces back in the box afterward. Boardgame arena is one of the best websites we’ve found, with fantastic, free game options to play with friends and family during lockdown.
4. Bake yourself a Christmas treat
Whilst shopping for non-essentials in the city centre is off-limits right now, buying ingredients is not. Why not try some foods that you haven’t tasted before? Or, even better, bake something that you’ve never had. You don’t have to be a master-baker to enjoy it. Plus, presenting a freshly baked banketstaaf on Christmas Day is the best feeling. There are loads of recipes online using ready-made pastry so it’s less of an effort and more therapeutic.
5. Make your own Christmas candles
If you have a bit of free time on your hands this year then you could always make something special for your friends and family. It’s heartwarming and reassuring to receive a homemade gift and they need not be complicated to make. Making jams, marmalades, pickles and chutneys are so fun and they make the best gifts. Baked goods like cookies are sure to be well received and who wouldn’t like a homemade, Christmas scented candle? There are plenty of tutorials online to help you make your own candles.
6. Write letters to friends and family
Whilst we’re all busy with work and the daily happenings of life, we sometimes forget how lovely it can be to receive a letter from a loved one. Spending time writing something nice for your friends and family to read will help you bring some Christmas joy to others this year, and to yourself, of course.
7. Sew your own Christmas stocking
Christmas stockings don’t seem so important in ordinary circumstances but this year is far from ordinary. Any Christmas tradition has the potential to cheer someone else up, or to cheer you up. So, why not give it a go? There are online tutorials that will teach you how to do it and you can decorate it however you like.
8. Mull your own wine or spice your own cider
Christmastime is inherently indulgent and although we can’t go out and celebrate, making your own mulled wine might just be more enjoyable. There are loads of alcoholic Christmas drinks – glühwein, glogg, mulled wine and even spiced cider. Check out our glogg recipe for a warming, delicious, and definitely jolly experience.
9. Binge on Netflix Christmas films
Sometimes (as often as possible) it’s nice to just relax on the sofa with a good Christmas film and a lovely, warm drink. We all need a bit of TLC every now and then.
Check out the list we’ve compiled of brilliant Christmas films on Netflix.
10. Make your own cheese
