36 fun things you can do from the comfort of your own home this December

While you’re staying positive and testing negative out there, don’t forget to have some fun! This month, there are still a ton of safe virtual experiences to enjoy. Hop aboard the holly jolly train and get ready for 33 festive and exciting things to do at home this December!

*Before checking these out, please remember to check individual event websites for COVID-19 related updates and any potential cancellations. Dates, regulations, and more are all subject to change.*

Check out Wordfest 25@25

Celebrating its 25th Anniversary in 2020, Wordfest has launched Imagine On Air (their new broadcast channel streaming on Wordfest.com) with talks from legendary Canadian literary superstars. Expect the likes of Thomas King, Lawrence Hill, Eden Robinson, and many more till Dec. 8!

Watch the Santa Claus Parade

Toronto’s famous Santa Clause parade will be live-streamed on December 5th this year. Plus, the event will feature a musical performance from Dolly Parton, who is our all-time favourite country music icon. It’s a big claim, but she earned it.

Track Santa

We giggle that an organization with the name ‘North America Aerospace Defense Command’ can have a lighter side. Yet for 60 years, NORAD has been ‘tracking Santa’ every Christmas. Fun for the little ones, and supremely easy to turn into a drinking game for adults (where’s he going next? We’ve got 1 shot on Helsinki).

Stop the Pandemic

Well, not actually. But, you can get close to it by playing the board game that really captures the essence of 2020- Pandemic. It’s also one of the few ‘cooperative’ board games we know about, where you work together with others instead of trying to take all their money or destroy their armies.

Decorate your house

And do it in the most time-consuming way possible! There’s nothing like messing around with a piece of paper for an hour and it turning into a crane, a frog, or whatever your heart desires. And of course, there are Christmas-themed ideas to try out this month.

Play Cards Against Humanity

The classic game for inappropriate laughs has moved online! Click the link above to find out how you can make your friends laugh through the power of the internet.

Watch a virtual concert featuring awesome Canadian talent

The Blue Jay Sessions’ 2020 holiday event is taking place in the form of live-streamed shows this year! Head to Facebook over four Fridays from November 27-December 18 for performances by Meg Dawson, Krissy Feniak, Brettyn Rose and Alex Hughes.

Support local and order in

There’s never been a better time to support local and order in. Plus, a big thing you can do for local restaurants is place an order for takeout so they don’t have to pay fees for third-party delivery.

Teach yourself a magic trick

You could use this time to expand your skillset. Entertain whoever you’re stuck in quarantine with a magic trick or two. Tons of tutorials are available on YouTube. While you’re at it, see if you can find a trick for making COVID-19 disappear…

Shop from over 100 Black businesses

Stocking stuffers, anyone? Shopping at the Virtual Black Christmas Expo is a great way to support the community. Enjoy a three-day weekend of Christmas shopping online from 100 Black Businesses in one place!

Then check out Indigenous wares as well

Our coworkers in Vancouver found out about a roundup of BC-based Indigenous artists that we can support. Click the link above to check that out (most have online stores), or, maybe do a quick Google search about options in your region.

Go to the circus

Courtesy of a beloved Canadian brand- Cirque du Soleil. That’s right, the famous circus show is offering a behind-the-scenes look at the show. Start off with a 60-minute long special, then explore music playlists, instructional videos, and much more.

Watch some wildlife

But safely, using the National Parks Services wildlife webcams. Bears, eagles, and aquatic animals are currently being featured, and it’s a great way to spend an hour. Very calming vibes.

Explore Google Maps

Explore the weirdest screencaps that have ever been found on there. You’d think that sending people around the earth with cameras strapped to their heads would produce some silly results. And, you’re absolutely right. Click the link above to see the best of the best (slightly NSFW).

Listen to the world’s first Christmas song for dogs

Researchers used a focus group of 25 pups and over 500 sounds to create the perfect combination to make their spirits bright. You can even head to Twitter to see adorable videos posted online of dogs reacting to the music. Seriously, you need these videos in your life, people.

Check out what’s coming to Netflix Canada this December

From cheesy holiday movies to documentaries, comedies, and originals, Netflix is back with hours of entertainment to get us through another month of uncertainty and chilly northern weather.

Pretend to be a National Geographic adventurer

Do you know that Nat Geo actually has ‘adventurers and explorers’ on their payroll? While we wait for our job offer, we’re going to practice online using a pretty fun little Google Earth feature, which allows us to see some of the world’s best wildlife habitats.

Watch new shows on Disney+

It’s time to see what’s in store for Disney+ in Canada this December! Luckily, we’ve got a few nice new titles to look forward to, and the end of the second season of The Mandalorian.

Take a virtual trip to Disney

The parks are closed, but our desire to hit up some rides hasn’t gone anywhere. If you’re in the same boat, hop onto some virtual POVs of Disney’s most famous rides. Turn the lights off and trust us, after a couple of drinks this will feel like the real thing.

Order yourself an inflatable sled

Call us crazy, but we’re thinking that 2020 might be the year we head back to the sledding hill. And if we do, then we’re going to need an appropriately awesome one to bring. Luckily, the company FUNBOY has us covered! They’ve recently released an inflatable sled fashioned after a snowmobile from the 80s, which is def worth an order if you ask us.

Explore the cosmos

There’s a lot more in this big old universe than just the earth. Remind yourself of your place on the cosmic scale by exploring NASA’s entire media library, which they’ve just released to the public for free. Photos, video, audio… heck, maybe you’re the person that gets inspiration from spooky space sounds, we don’t know.

Ride a rollercoaster besides the rollercoaster of life

Disney might have shut their parks for the foreseeable future, but we also live in the future. Confused? That’s us telling you that you can ride any number of Disney parks from home, for free. Check out their catalog for 360-degree videos online, and torture yourself by getting ‘it’s a small world after all’ stuck on a loop in your head.

Go down the rabbit hole

Have you ever heard of the Internet Archive? Well, it’s a website that strives to do just that. Public domain movies, books, and other content can all be found here. Plus, they’ve got a catalog of over 418 billion different webpages. Think of it as exploring another kind of cosmos.

Play some flash games

But not just any video games… flash games! You know, those games that got you in trouble every single time you stepped into the computer lab at school? Ok, maybe’s that was just us, but still. So far, 38,000 games and growing are free to access.

Play some nostalgic classics

By checking out an in-browser emulator that gives you access to a wide variety of Nintendo and other older games. Pokemon, Sonic, Mario Bros. are all on here, often with multiple generations represented. Just be careful, you don’t want to get too invested in this.

Paint something!

How adorable would this be? Instead of sending your friend/family member a good morning text during social isolation, you send them an authentic, one-off postcard. And, you don’t even need to have a Windows laptop from 2003 to use the original MS Paint. Score!

Then Paint something else!

Did you know that the entire ‘Joy of Painting’ video series with Bob Ross is free to watch on YouTube? Sure, you might have to buy some supplies beforehand, but you’ll be painting so many happy little trees that it’ll be worth it.

Listen to the radio

Here’s some old-timey fun for ya with a modern twist. Round up the grandkids on FaceTime, turn on your old radio, then plug in whatever adapter is necessary to listen to the radio off your laptop. And when we say the radio we mean it- every public radio station on earth is on this website.

Go shopping… but not on Amazon

Each week, we’re realizing how important this is, so it’s sticking around. A lot of independent businesses are going to be under pretty intense financial stress for a while. So if you’ve got some spending money, support them. Order takeout/delivery, buy that shirt off Etsy, get a book delivered from a local store… whatever it is, your extra buck or two is more important than ever.

Take an online course

“Yeah, I took a course at Harvard,” is what you’ll be able to say by the month’s end. Ivy league schools around the world are offering online classes to those in quarantine and they’re totally free! Get your mind right, folks. You’ve got the time.

Attend a Zoom meeting with Santa

Writing a list? That’s so 2019. These days, you can log onto a handy site, choose the desired date and time you would like to schedule your Santa Call, and boom– you’re in business with the big man.

Challenge your friends to online trivia 

Using the QuizUp App, go head-to-head with your special someone in a game of Trivia! Turn over your phones, place a bet, and test each other’s ability to answer random rapid-fire questions, or choose a topic and see who’s more quick-witted.

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Make edible gifts

Baking? During a pandemic? It’s unheard of! Take part in this hands-on, adult cooking class to make edible holiday gifts that you can hand out or mail out to friends and family (or keep for yourself, if you’re like us)!

Daydream about crazy homes

BC’s “Mountain House”, designed by the New York firm ME Architecture, is a cliff-hanging, stomach-churning, magic trick of a palace that defies all logic and breaks every rule. You should probably check it out.

Watch Annie online

Luckily for our sanity, throughout quarantimes, we’ve seen quarantine concerts and virtual table readings- and now, you can sing along to Storybook Theatre’s Annie and support local artists! You can bet your bottom dollar that we’ll be checking it out.

Party with your pals (virtually)

We all miss being able to party. Luckily, just because we’re all separate doesn’t mean we can’t still enjoy a drinking game or two! Check out the websites in the article listed above, and take the party online!

There you have it, folks. We hope you’re staying safe and entertained out there! It’s going to be a strange holiday season, but you’ve got this. We’re in it together.