As the holiday season creeps into our busy lives, step back and relax so that you can enjoy your Christmas break with some of these festive activities. Here are five things to do during the holidays which are sure to ring in the season for you, your friends, and your family.

1. Add some unique flavors to your holiday with a Christmas cookie exchange! Gather up a group of friends and plan a date to meet. Before that date, make your own, special cookies of any kind, and decorate them as you wish. Then, when you and your friends all meet, bring and exchange your unique, homemade cookies. Make enough cookies so that everyone can not only sample one or two at the party but also bring home a half dozen or so. Prizes may be awarded to the most creative recipe, the best tasting cookie, and the best presentation. A cookie exchange is a great way to spend time with some friends and get in the holiday spirit!

2. In my mother’s side of our family, there are fifteen grandchildren. The expenses of buying gifts makes it nearly impossible for every aunt and uncle to buy each of their nieces and nephews a Christmas present. Instead, my family hosts its own Pollyanna. A Pollyanna, otherwise known as a Secret Santa, is an exciting holiday event for all ages, and is perfect for a large family like mine. In short, each participant’s name is written on a slip of paper, and everyone draws a name from the hat then buys a gift for the person whose name he or she selected. Then, when everyone meets–for my family, on Christmas Eve–everyone receives a gift from his or her Secret Santa. The activity is fun and convenient and is sure to fill the room with laughs and smiles.

3. Similarly to a Pollyanna or Secret Santa, a game called White Elephant is also a gift exchange. However, the exchange is much more friendly towards large groups of friends and is sure to create an air of friendly competition and fun in your home. Everyone participating brings a wrapped gift that is usually humorous rather than serious. Each person is assigned a number randomly, the person assigned with the first pick will choose and unwrap any present. Here’s the twist: the second person will have the option to steal the first person’s unwrapped gift or choose any wrapped gift. And so, it continues– frustrated laughs and friendly arguments as friends steal each other’s gifts. Be careful, though: the most beautifully wrapped gift could turn out to be the worst present of them all. For instance, my parents actually ended up with a rabbit one year– a real, live rabbit that became our family pet, Oreo. Though my siblings and I were thrilled, my parents were not very amused by this unavoidable little gift. You never know what you’ll end up with.

4. Just this past weekend, I spent a day in Philly with my family, which has proven to make a wonderful way to spend time in preparation for the holiday season. Every block of the city is decked out with lights, trees, wreaths, and other decorations. Love Park has been transformed into the popular Christmas Village, a European-styled ‘village’ in which vendors from all around the world set up and sell their holiday collectibles, such as ornaments, hats, scarves, and several other festive, wintery items. Perhaps you’ll even be treated to a live performance in the center of the park, right behind the famous Love statue. There is so much to do in the city around the holidays in addition to a visit to Love Park. Just in November, the brand new ice skating rink outside of City Hall opened to the public, creating a new tradition for the city’s inhabitants and visitors. However, old traditions remain as well, and people still flock into Macy’s for the Christmas Light Show, an illuminating event that has occurred every year since the 1950s. Don’t forget the annual Mummers Parade that occurs annually in the city of Philadelphia on New Year’s Day, an exciting, festive tradition. The list of things to do in the city during this holiday season is endless!

5. Spice up your Christmas by creating your very own, unique gingerbread house. The possibilities are boundless– you can even put your creativity skills to the test by even making your own gingerbread and icing. You can decorate your house as you’d please, making it as simple or complex as you want. Gumdrops, candy canes, and other colorful little candies make great additions to your house, serving as a door step or maybe the pattern on the roof. If your cooking skills are perhaps not up to par, many stores offer pre-made gingerbread cut outs and icing that are just as fun to assemble and decorate.

Gingerbread house recipe:

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/gingerbread-house-recipe.html