With winter break just ahead and people getting ready to fly away for the holiday break, it can seem like staying home over break is the worst situation to be in, but with these winter-friendly ideas, your staycation might not turn out all that bad.

Spending time with family

With so many siblings away at college during the school year, it can be hard to find time to see them and let alone spend any quality time with them. Over the holiday break while they are home, a great way to spend this time is with them, having some quality time together. Another substitution might be spending time with any other out of town relatives who might be coming in for break. Senior Mollie Greenberg said, “I love when my sister comes home for breaks. It’s always fun and we spend all of our time together.”

Ice Skating

Being undoubtedly one of the best winter activities ever, ice skating is the best way to spend your break. Not a great skater? No problem: One of the perks to living near DC is being near the outdoor Washington Harbor Ice Rink, which includes cool life size penguins that you can take onto the ice and use to lean on. And if you are looking for something more local, there are several indoor rinks located in the Rockville and Potomac area.

Movies, movies and more movies

For those of you who love to settle down on the couch in sweats and watch holiday movies, this one’s for you. Watching holiday movies with friends or family is a great way to spend break. Throw in a cozy blanket and some hot cocoa and you’ve got yourself the perfect winter treat. Can’t find any good movies to watch? There are plenty of great new movies coming into theaters, including The Grinch, Mary Poppins Returns, and so many others.

Shopping

With Christmas right around the corner and probably a lot of gift shopping left to do, spending the first part of break up until then searching for the perfect last minute gifts is perfect. Some of the best deals come towards the very end and aren’t too hard to find. Taking the day to drive to the Tysons Corner mall is a great daytime activity to do with friends. Spend the day gift hunting (and shopping for yourself of course) and take advantage of the time off to find the perfect gift for your loved ones. Tysons Corner even has a gift guide on their website that has organized deals for every special person in your life.