What to do over Winter Break

If you’re not going on a vacation, winter break can seem like a very boring 12 days.  Sure, you can spend some time sleeping, some time eating, and some time doing homework, but that won’t fill up your break.  Here are some suggestions for how to fill up your time.

• See a movie
  • Plenty of good movies have come out recently.  Gather some friends and try to see movies such as:
    • Catching Fire.  The second movie in the Hunger Games series is out, and quite popular.  If you want to go see it with some friends, your biggest difficulty might be finding a group who haven’t yet seen it.
    • The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug.  This one is the sequel to the first hobbit movie, which came out last year.  While it adds many things that weren’t in the book, it is still worth viewing.
    • 12 Years a Slave.  The title says it all; this movie is based on the true story of a free black man taken to the South and sold into slavery.  This movie may not be easy to see, as it is rated R.  Most people in this school aren’t allowed to see it with only friends their age.

• Volunteer
  • If you have no idea what to do with your time, try helping people make more out of theirs.  Some reasons to do so are:
    • Make people happy.  If you are fine with giving up part of your Christmas, it can mean a lot to people.  Even if you aren’t, help is always appreciated.
    • A feeling of satisfaction.  Volunteering can make you feel very warm inside.
    • Community Service/CAS hours.  Need I say more?
    • You can choose what you want to do.  Pick a volunteering area of interest and see what options are available.  You won’t regret it!

• Ice skate
  • There are plenty of ice skating rinks in this city.  You might want to go to one of them, alone or with friends.  Some of them are:
    • The World Ice Arena, in Flushing Meadows Corona Park, by 131^st Street and Avery Avenue.
    • The Laser Ice Skating Rink, in Central Park, by 110^th Street and Lenox Avenue.
    • The Wollman Rink, in Central Park, at 63^rd Street.
    • The Rink at Bryant Park, in Bryant Park, between 5^th and 6^th Avenues and between 40^th and 42^nd Streets.

Clearly, there are many good things to do over winter break.  Feel free to sit around and complain about being bored, but remember that if you don’t want to be bored, there are many things to do to make sure that you aren’t bored.