Now that December has come upon us, there are so many fun seasonal activities that you can participate in. On a date, or just with friends, here are some ideas of how you can spend your weekends in the holiday spirit! Creative Commons Image by Niall Kennedy on Wikipedia.

By Gracie Hammond

Ice Skating At Winter Lodge: Winter Lodge, an ice skating rink in Palo Alto, is open week-long and a single admission ticket is $11. The rink is decorated with holiday decorations and the venue has a fun and festive atmosphere.

Gingerbread House Building Competition: It sounds corny, but every year my friends and build gingerbread houses. I suggest making teams of two people and giving everyone a gingerbread house kit (Trader Joe’s has great ones, also Costco has cheap ones.) Give every team a certain amount of time to finish their house, and appoint an outside person as a judge to decide the winner.

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Jam out to Christmas Music: Pretty self explanatory but Eartha Kitt, Mariah Carey or Michael Bublé are recommended.

 
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Day Trip to Union Square: This time of the year Union Square in San Francisco is covered with breathtaking holiday lights and decorations. Union Square has so many fun restaurants and shops, and most importantly, a festive ice skating rink. Personally, I love looking at all of the wreaths that are hung in Macy’s windows and then eating lunch at their restaurant that offers a bird’s eye view over the square.

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Decorate a Christmas tree: Every year my cousins and I go to Honey Bear Trees farm in Redwood City and buy a mini Christmas tree. Target has cheap ornaments and decorations that you can deck out the tree with while you blast Christmas music. And, this is the time to dig around the attic or basement for some dusy ornaments your parents used decades ago.

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Take Care of Puppies at a Pet Shelter: Playing with cute animals is an instant mood booster. There’s so many animal shelters in the area that’ll let you volunteer for the day. Not only will you feel good about helping out, but you’ll be helping animal shelters with a critical need of theirs.

Go to Wise Sons: There’s nothing that says Hannukah like Wise Sons Jewish Delicatessen. The San Francisco food group has a deli on 24th street and bakery in the Fillmore which are sure to satisfy all your Hanukkah cravings. I suggest going to the deli for the full experience which includes famous latkes, corned beef and challah french toast among others.

Creative Commons Image by Niall Kennedy on Wikipedia.