Give me a break - no Kit Kat bar required! This holiday season, between all of the hustle and bustle, purchases and exchanges and family reunions, how will you make the most of your time off from school?
I make a checklist to make sure that my life and my things are all in order for a new year. Here are some of my basics:
1. WORK OUT: I make time every day to go run or go to the gym to fight the hangover that the holidays leave on my waistline. With no school or homework, you have no excuse not to!
2. CLEAN YOUR ROOM: At the risk of sounding mom-ish - go through old stuff in closets and drawers and throw away clutter. Go through your wardrobe and donate to charity stuff that does not fit anymore or that is “so 2006.” This gives your closet more room to house your new clothes for the New Year.
3. ORGANIZE SCHOOL SUPPLIES: Sift through your school binders and folders and throw papers out that you no longer need for the new semester. Clean your pencil bag out and restock your supplies.
4. CATCH UP WITH FRIENDS: Maybe you have drifted apart from someone you no longer get to see in school everyday. Use this time to rekindle your friendship and let the old times roll.
5. FINE TUNE YOUR LOOK: So that you will look fine for the New Year. Get your hair cut, do facials, re-shape your eyebrows, and try some new makeup.
6. HAVE A GIRL'S NIGHT: Give each other makeovers, get dressed up and go to a nice restaurant. Have a photo shoot (MySpace picture comments anyone?), prank call, and watch old movies all night long. Forget about high school and all the stress that comes with it!
7. GET INVOLVED: Find an organization with a cause that you are passionate about and start volunteering over break. Get committed and vow to make time for it each month.
8. GO TO SALES: Take full advantage of after-Christmas sales. You do not still need the stocking out to stock up on bargains.
9. HAVE YOU TIME: Do things that you never have time to do otherwise. I enjoy swinging at the park, roasting marshmallows, watching Disney movies, and catching up on all the magazines that I haven't had time to read.
10. SET GOALS: Are you doing everything that you want to be doing at this point in your life? Make a list of things that you want to accomplish by the end of 2007.
With a list like this of your own, your holiday will be as successful as it is eventful. You do not want to bring in the New Year by sitting on your couch doing nothing all break. Like a fortune cookie once told me, “Time is wasted but never recycled!”
