OAC Holiday Recommendations

To celebrate the December break, we've compiled a list of activities to try this winter, recommended by OAC community members. Thank you to everyone who provided suggestions!

Winter Activities:

• Go walking, hiking, or snowshoeing on local trails
• Go downhill skiing, cross country skiing or tobogganing/sledding
• Try something new like a fun project, crafting
• Have an “ugly” Christmas sweater contest
• Host a holiday karaoke
• Baking and decorating cookies or making fancy hot chocolate bombs
• Stay indoors and watch movies such as How the Grinch Stole Christmas, National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, A Christmas Story
• Take a walk in the woods and identify star constellations at night
• Go skating on the Eramosa River or public skating rinks
• Snowball fights and playing in the snow
• Building an outdoor fire (where permitted) and sitting by it
• Go ice fishing (it’s very accessible at Guelph Lake)
• Try something new, like building snow sculptures or woodworking
• Go christmas tree hunting and cut your own tree at a local tree farm

Winter Activities for Children:

• Build a snow fort or snowperson
• Make a snow angel
• Tobogganing at the Cutten Club
• Skating at one of Guelph's many free community outdoor ice rinks
• Building a gingerbread house
• Many of the activities listed under “Winter Activities”

Favourite Holiday Recipes:

• Spritz Cookies
• Shortbread Cookies
• Homemade Soups
• Spanish Bar Cake
• Honey and Spice Cake
• Lamb Roast
• Mashed Potatoes
• Mashed Turnips
• Caesar Salad
• Mulled wine
• Creme Brûlée
• Cranberry Orange Bread
• Nanaimo bars
• Pumpkin Pie
• Gingerbread cookies
• Dutch Butter Cake
• Anything with egg nog!
• Cinnamon Star Cookies
• Vegan Sugar Cookies (Dairy and Gluten Free)
• Minced Pies
• Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
• White Chocolate Peppermint Bark
• Turtle Thumbprints

Winter Staycation Ideas:

• Blue Mountain
• Hot cocoa/chocolate with books and movies
• Watching the fireplace channel with a warm drink
• Watercolour painting
• Playing board games
• Visit the Winter of Festival Lights in Niagara Falls
• Hiking Starkey’s Loop after a new snowfall
• Researching family history at a local museum
• Being creative, drawing and beading
• Backyard ice rink
• Sitting in the sunroom, blasting the heat, imagining being on a beach
• Sleeping in
• Renovations
• Skiing with family and friends 
• Port Stanley