And then I realized this is the same family who’s been stuck with me since March. They’re sick of my jokes, know I burn most dinners, and I’m still losing at Bananagrams. (Never have I missed our family and friends more.)
Aware I needed a new plan, I texted a few people and put a request on our HTLC page.
Here are Fun Ideas during a Quarantine Holiday.
Indoor Fun
Bailey Hinricher and her family like to play Minute-to-Win-It-Games.
Angela Schoenbauer recommends baking Christmas cookies, playing board games, and watching Christmas movies with her family (and new puppy).
Connecting Online with Socially-Distanced Family/ Friends
For family members who are new to Zoom, Amber Kahnke recommends playing board games over Zoom. (Each family will need their own board.)
Sande and Larry Schoenecker play games with family over Zoom using Jackbox.
Linnea Hautman recommends the article 11 Fun Games to Play on Zoom for lots of options and details.
Outdoor Fun
Amber and Nate Kahnke’s family like to go downhill skiing and tubing. Read ahead before you visit Buck Hill in Burnsville.
Julie and Dan Popple’s family recommend ice skating. These outdoor rinks will open in December
Sharon Steinhoff Smith and her family enjoy the Ney Nature Center. Just 15 minutes away from Henderson, they have “446 acres of forests, prairie, meadows, bluffs, creeks, and a variety of wildlife.” And cross-country skiing as soon as that snowstorm arrives…
Liz and Bob Nelson recommend getting outside at least once a day to combat the winter doldrums. She suggests walking under the night sky, playing various Winter Snow Games, (here are directions for Fox and Goose), and always ending the night with hot chocolate.
Creativity Involved
To keep her family entertained, Leanne and Brian Gieseke improvised a scavenger hunt around town for her kids and their friends.
The Podratz Family likes to “ding-dong-ditch” with Christmas cookies. She writes “Take some of your homemade cookies and write a note: You’ve been ding-dong-ditched! Leave for a neighbor, friend from school or church. Put on the doorstep, ring the bell, and run like the wind!”
Melissa Horejsi suggests going through the church directory and writing a card or letter to someone you’d like to get to know better. “Kinda like ding-dong-ditch, but through the mail.”
She also suggests trying a new type of food and doing a craft project as a family.
The Missions Team recommends knitting/crotcheting a scarf, hat, or mittens and leaving them in the Little Free Pantry. Buying self-care products and snacks also appreciated!
Jeff and Wendy Jacobson recommend supporting a local restaurant or coffee shop with take-out orders. Perhaps followed by a tour of lights!
Christmas Light Shows
Christmas is the perfect time for holiday light shows. Mary and Mike Busch recommend the Sever’s Light Show and the Minnesota Zoo light show.
Janet Morris agrees with the Buschs and adds the light shows at Christmas in Color at Valley Fair, The Glow Holiday Festival at the state fairgrounds, and the Winter Lights 2020 at the Arboretum are worth the drive.
