“How many sleeps until Christmas?” – a pretty common question at this time of year and a pretty nice one to answer too.
Nodifi takes a look at some of the best Christmas ‘to-dos’ in the lead up to the big day. Which ones would you like to try?
1: Make (and drink) traditional eggnog
Have you ever tried traditional Christmas eggnog? Although it’s not really an Aussie Christmas tradition, making the drink can be a fun activity.
There are dozens of different recipes online – most being pretty simple, even for the non-kitchen savvy among us. Eggnog is not new, in fact, people have been downing the drink at Christmas time for literally 100s of years so there’s many modern takes on the recipe to try.
2: Connect with an old friend
The holiday season is a perfect time to connect (or reconnect) with an old friend or family member whom you may not have seen for a while. Most people are on holidays and have a little extra time and are generally in a pretty good mood.
It might even be an old client with whom you had an excellent relationship.
Send them a Christmas email, sms or message on social media, or if possible, call them and arrange a catch up – indulging in your freshly made eggnog of course!
3: Watch a Christmas movie marathon
It’s next to impossible not to get at least one Christmas song stuck in your head. Whether or not that’s a good thing, we’ll let you decide.
Christmas movies normally make a presence during the silly season, especially those iconic movies we all know and love – perfect on a hot day with the A/C on.
Get some snacks and take a look at these top Christmas movies:
- 7: Elf (2003)
- 6: The Muppets Christmas Carol (1992)
- 5: Jingle All The Way (1996)
- 4: The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)
- 3: Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey (2020)
- 2: Home Alone (1990)
- 1: Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992)
* Challenge: Think about the above list of movies without getting a song stuck in your head!
4: Attend Carols by Candlelight
All cities and most major centres in Australia hold carols by candlelight. The songs are on the more traditional side and the event often consists of family picnics. Carols by candlelight is perfect for people keen on traditional Christmas events.
Make sure to bring a picnic rug and some snacks and join your local community. Often, proceeds from fundraisers go to charity which makes the event even more worthwhile.
This year, some states have implemented COVID restrictions and capped attendance numbers so check with your local government for the latest health advice.
5: Take an Aussie road trip
Wherever you are in Australia, there’s likely to be somewhere close by to take a nice trip. With the family on break from school and work, take a trip to your local beach or tourist hotspot.
Even if you don’t plan to stay overnight, getting away for a few hours for a change of scenery can really lift everyone’s spirits. Additionally, those states that benefit from extended sun from daylight savings can enjoy late evening activities such as a game of beach cricket.
Speaking of which…
6: Play backyard cricket
‘One hand, one bounce’ and ‘six and out (hitting the ball over the fence)’ – two old classic rules of Aussie backyard cricket.
Summer family BBQs at Christmas time go hand-in-hand with a quick game. Often spurred on by the Boxing Day Test at the MCG (Australia v India this year), backyard cricket is famous for its ‘bendable’ and ‘creative’ rules made up by extended family members.
Don’t have a backyard? A nearby park will do. Have a game this year – easy when bins and trees suffice for a set of stumps.
7: Make Christmas special for someone less fortunate
Sadly, not everyone has the ability to try the above list of Christmas ‘to-dos’. Did you know that there are around 116,000 homeless people in Australia at any one time?
Nodifi was able to make a difference with the ‘12 Days of Christmas’ charity campaign – something the team and partners are proud of. You can also make a difference, simply by donating a pre-loved toy or clothing to your local charity.
Merry Christmas from the Nodifi team
Needless to say there are no shortage of options when it comes to keeping occupied during the Christmas period.
The Nodifi team wishes all partners and their loved ones a safe and Merry Christmas, and we look forward to creating new memories in 2021.
