Trail of Lights: The annual trail of lights holiday festival begins this Saturday with a 5k race around Zilker Park. The grand opening is the next day and it will remain open until the 22^nd. This is the perfect activity to do with friends and family whether they’re locals or from out of town. With tons of local food and gift vendors, the trail of lights has something for everyone to enjoy as they walk through Zilker Park’s magnificent holiday celebration.

Decorate trees on 360: Another holiday activity unique to Austin is the tree decorating that happens on 360. This is another local tradition that allows Austin residents to express their creativity while spreading the holiday spirit. The trees can be decorated any way you please, with whatever you have on hand, whether it be old Christmas ornaments or old underwear. If you find yourself looking for something to do over the break, gather your friends and/or family, pack up some holiday treats and music, and head down to 360 to decorate a tree to celebrate the holidays with the ones you love most.

Throw a cookie decorating party: One way to bring everybody together this season is by throwing a party and in the season of giving what better thing to give than some holiday cookies? A cookie party is a great way to get together with friends and give them a small gift at the same time. Just bake some plain sugar cookies in different holiday-themed shapes, and make a few different colors of frosting and let friends ice and decorate their own cookies with a variety of frostings and sprinkles.

Donate and volunteer: the season of giving is upon us, and while it’s nice to receive gifts from loved ones, it feels just as good (maybe even better) to give to someone in need. Saint Thomas More and many other churches are running low on food in their donation pantries this season and are in great need of some donations. Some other ways to help out include donating wrapped presents to churches to give to the homeless, working at local soup kitchens, or wrapping gifts for organizations like Brown Santa. It’s important to remember that there are many people across the contry who don’t have anyone or anything to celebrate the holidays with so spread some joy and lend the city of Austin a helping hand this holiday season.

Holiday movie marathon: perfect for a cold night in over the break, host a holiday movie marathon and invite friends to veg out on the sofa with some popcorn and holiday treats.
Some popular holiday films to watch: National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, A Christmas Story, Home Alone, Elf, Miracle on 34^th Street, The Santa Clause, and more.