If you’re one of the many students staying in town for fall break, here are a few things you can do to celebrate the upcoming holidays away from home.
Lean into traditions
Does your family celebrate any traditions around the holidays? For instance, you may cook a specific meal or enjoy watching holiday movies together. Lean into these traditions for inspiration or try something new. Here are a few holiday traditions you can enjoy by yourself, with friends or family:
DIY cinnamon decorations
Feeling crafty? Create your own ornaments or garland! These cinnamon decorations will also warm up your home with great holiday scents.
If you’re spending the holidays away from family and friends this year, consider FaceTiming or calling them over Zoom to enjoy these activities together.
Head to the post office
If you’re spending the holidays away from friends or family, consider sending postcards or handwritten notes to your loved ones by mail. If you want to send an extra special season's greetings, consider including small tokens of appreciation such as baked goods, crafts or photos in the envelope with your note. Sending letters to loved ones also provides a great opportunity to practice gratitude and reflect on how much the people in your life mean to you. Consider writing to friends or family to let them know how they’ve impacted your life, share a memory you cherish with them or simply let them know how you’ve been doing.
Engage in community care
While it’s important to practice self-care over the holiday season, It can also be helpful to engage in community care. Unlike self-care, which focuses on how we take care of ourselves, community care emphasizes how we take care of each other. Engaging in community care helps us foster connection, support and purpose, which can improve our mental health. This can be especially helpful if you are unable to celebrate the holidays with close family or friends.
Not sure where to start? Here are a few ways to begin practicing community care:
Opt outside
Don’t let the cold weather stop you from venturing outside! Spending time outdoors is a great way to lift your spirits, especially if you’re getting active. This can also be a great opportunity to explore hobbies or activities that you may enjoy, like snowshoeing, hiking or enjoying a quiet walk around your neighborhood.
If you’re looking for somewhere new to explore, be sure to take advantage of Fresh Air Friday. On Friday, Nov. 25 all 41 Colorado state parks are open to the public for free! This includes Eldorado Canyon State Park, which is just 15 minutes from Boulder.
Resources
If you or someone you know is struggling during this time, it’s important to know that there are resources available to help.
Buff Pantry
The Buff Pantry is the on-campus food pantry in the UMC that is open to all campus affiliates who are experiencing food insecurity. If you’re concerned about food over fall break, you can stop by once per week to receive approximately 20 pounds of food per visit before break starts. The Buff Pantry will be open the Monday of fall break for clients.
Campus Dining
Campus Dining Services will have adjusted hours of operation over fall and winter break. You can check out which locations are open during break by visiting their website.
Health and Wellness Services
Health and Wellness Services wants to ensure that all students have access to the care and support services they need, wherever they are. Check out health and wellness resources that are available to in-state and out-of-state students.