The holiday season is upon us! No matter what you’re celebrating this winter, it will likely look a bit different this year than any other year. This doesn’t mean that our holidays can’t still be fun, as well as safe and S.T.E.A.M. Green! Here is what we at Science Rendezvous are doing this year. What are you doing this holiday season? Do you have any other tips to add? Let us know on social media! 

Gifts

• Find and send sustainable gifts for our friends and family
• Get creative with our gift-wrapping, such as old maps, comics, old artwork, and even fabric such as old scarves and dish towels
• Make our own holiday greeting cards
• Send virtual gifts, such as an online gift card or a ticket to a fun experience that will be scheduled once the pandemic is over
• Give the gift of a donation to a local charity in the name of a family or friend

Decorations

• Make our own decorations out of things we have at home, whether they’re craft materials or items we won’t use again
• Replace any of the lights we can’t use again with some LED lights
• Find some biodegradable alternatives of balloons, glitter and confetti 
• Use beeswax candles
• Find pine cones, leaves and branches for some natural decorations
• Reuse our old decorations

Host a virtual holiday party

Because we’re keeping our physical gatherings small and avoiding travelling, this is also great for the environment! It’s also important to follow local guidelines when we finalize our holiday plans. Why not host a virtual holiday party? With most events being virtual for the majority of the year so far, we think it might be fun to switch it up with some of these ideas: 

• Use fun filters and backgrounds to surprise our virtual guests. We’ll definitely be taking screenshots for the memories and might even turn it into a contest for the most festive or funny background! 
• Show off our holiday baked goods and decorate them to fit the mood. 
• Have an ugly sweater contest
• Open each other’s gifts on camera to see their live reactions

Play a few virtual games

• Brush up on our trivia with Kahoot
• Have some giggles with a few rounds of Mad Libs
• Play charades or pictionary with the help of an automatic word generator.   
• Have a scavenger hunt for things around the house – fastest household wins!
• Play Read My Lips: Someone mutes their mic and says a word or phrase. Everyone else  has to guess what they’re saying within one minute. 
• Play Robot Training: Someone instructs another player through a simple task, such as tying their shoes or making a sandwich. They can even share their screen and must follow directions to do something on the computer, such as drawing something science-related on Microsoft Paint! 

Activities to do with our own households 

Make sure to get as much sunlight as you can and dress appropriately for any outdoor activities!

• Take part in a classic Science Rendezvous activity: Fishing for Ice!
• Make our own paper snowflakes (make them scientifically accurate here)
• Go snowflake hunting
• Bake and decorate some holiday goods
• Watch some holiday flicks while snacking on some caramel popcorn
• Read some holiday or science-themed books together
• Take a physically-distant walk (and take a look at some of the holiday lights up in the neighbourhood)
• Take a physically-distant hike at a nearby park
• Go physically-distant ice-skating with our household
• Go sledding/tobogganing/tubing!
• Go on a winter photo scavenger hunt
• Make a snowman, snow fort or snow angel nearby
• Look up to the sky for the Great Conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn, as they move closer together this month! They haven’t been this close since 400 years ago, and the last time we could see it from Earth was 800 years ago.