Everyday is a holiday!
Who says you can only celebrate the holidays on the actual day? NO ONE. Personally, I believe in the holiday season, not just the day. Holidays spread cheer and bring people together, so why reserve that for only one day? If there is a holiday approaching, celebrate it, who cares what day it is actually on!
For the entire month of October, my roommates and I decided that it was a month long Oktoberfest. We found one-dollar Halloween headbands in the Target dollar section, and then we found these ridiculous Jack-o-Lantern shirts at Target as well. We deemed these our Oktoberfest outfits. Starting October 1st, we tried to spread as much Halloween cheer as we could. Often we would wear our headbands around our house, for meals, when studying, when Facebooking. Anyone who stopped by had to smile. We went out at the beginning, middle, and the end of October (obviously) in our Oktoberfest outfits. At first, people may have thought we were a little bit strange, but when we talked to people about what we were doing, everyone thought it was great; we gave them a reason to celebrate!
I returned to Target recently and they had Christmas headbands; I bought them, don’t worry. We have been wearing them around this holiday season to spread some cheer.
So don’t wait for the actual reserved day for the holidays, celebrate early and often! Make it fun and random; spread cheer and bring people together!
Sing your heart out.
Just last night I discovered the most amazing way to spend time goofing off with your friends for FREE. Well, almost free. All you need is Comcast Cable. In the On Demand section, you will find a karaoke section under music. Please go to this section and you can karaoke to all of your favorite songs, old and new. Break out the hairbrush microphones and air guitar and get your groove one. I spent over two hours going through and singing my favorite songs. It was a Friday. Don’t judge me too much; we had a lot of fun. We were mostly going through the songs trying to find the perfect duet to perform at the karaoke bar on my 21st birthday, which is next week.
We sang songs like “Lady Marmalade”, “Sweet Home Alabama”, “I’m Like a Bird”, “Baby Got Back” and so many more. One of my personal favorites is “I Wanna Dance With Somebody” by Whitney Houston. They even have Christmas music selections!
Unlike a lot of crummy karaoke places, Comcast offers most of today’s top hits in their selections. I was singing to the likes of Beyonce’s “Halo” and Lady Gaga all night.
You can make karaoke into a contest and have judges, like your own, personal American Idol. Or, you can just sing, for hours on end. Either way, you have to check this out. You will not be disappointed.
Dancin’ the Night Away
When new songs come out, as they do everyday, so do new, sometimes ridiculous, dance moves. When there is no where to go, or you just want to stay in with a bunch of friends, the best thing to do is master these new dance moves. Then, the next time you go out, everyone will be jealous of you when the song comes on, or they may laugh. But either way, it will brighten people’s days!
My friends and I had the “Crank That” (Soulja Boy) dance perfected. We have also perfected the Beyonce “Single Ladies” dance when it became popular by Justin Timberlake. Other fun songs to learn are Michael Jackson songs. What better way to pay respect to him than learning his dances? Thriller is fun and always a classic.
If there are no cool/silly dances to learn, make up your own. You have to be creative, and a little weird to do this, but it’s not like you have to show anyone what you come up with. This is good exercise and can only bring happiness to everyone involved. String the most outrageous dance moves together to your favorite song and before you know it, every time you hear the song, you will be doing the moves subconsciously.
So search YouTube or any music video channel on your TV and get creative! These moves and memories will be more fun than you think!
Music Makes the World Go ‘Round
Everyone listens to music, so if you are sick of the stupid playlists that Genius creates in your iTunes with all the songs you have heard a million times, mix it up a bit: go to a concert!
Personally, I love all music except for screaming type music, so any concert suits my fancy, but I got stoked on the ideas of concerts this summer when I went to the Kenny Chesney concert at Qwest field. The concert was deemed the “Summer Tailgate”. And it definitely lived up to that. It was a day long event with four different acts before Kenny performed. Outside Qwest field in the parking lot, there was a legitimate tailgate. Everyone was playing their favorite Kenny songs and everyone was friends with everyone. There were contests and tailgate passing out drinks, what more could you ask for?
This experience just really opened my eyes to the way people connect and come together through music, whether it be country, rap, hip hop, pop, rock, classical, etc. Everyone who appreciates that type of music is there and all people are doing is listening and taking in the experience.
Since the Kenny concert, I have begun looking at all of the shows playing in smaller venues (because those are more affordable) such as the Showbox downtown. Concerts are a great way to meet people, enjoy the people you are with, and embrace the music that you love.
You’ve never seen the city from this angle…
I love parks. I love parks with a serene or epic view of something. I love parks with creative playgrounds. I love parks that are bustling with people and silly looking dogs. I love parks that are calm and a lot of people don’t know about. I love a lot of parks. Most likely I will provide a huge database of cool parks in the near future, but I will start with Kerry Park, in Seattle.
Kerry Park overlooks downtown Seattle and provides brilliant views of the Space Needle and the skyline. There are a few pieces of art as well as some viewing binoculars there.
It doesn’t have a playground, but the view is breathtaking.
This is a great park to take a date, or to take pictures before prom.
If you want to see the city from a different angle, I suggest you try out Kerry Park.
12 egg omelet anyone?
I double-dog-dare everyone who reads this to attempt to eat the 12-egg omelet from Beth’s Café in Seattle (Or just dining at Beth’s Café would suffice as well). This omelet is served on a platter, literally, and it comes with hash browns and toast.
Personally, I have never eaten one, but I am determined to in the near future. All the times I have dined at Beth’s I have seen people conquer, or attempt to conquer, their own personal 12-egg omelet!
Some patrons have made games out of it, but giving themselves and their friend’s time limits or trying to beat each other to the clean plate.
Beth’s has something for everyone to eat, from mini breakfasts to sandwiches and salads, so get a huge group of friends and they can cheer on all the omelet contenders!
The café is decorated in art made by the patrons. So, while they are waiting for you to finish your omelet, they can draw and make creations and then become artists by hanging their masterpieces on the wall. Who knows, maybe they will make you a certificate of completion to be hung on record for everyone to see at the café. Note: Beth’s does not award any prize to those who finish a 12-egg omelet!
Beth’s is open 24 hours a day, so whether it’s a midnight snack, early morning breakfast after a night out, or a lazy Sunday late lunch, go try it!
Visit Beth’s Café website for directions and a peak at their menu.
Ride the Ducks
It may be goofy, and you may think it’s only for tourists, but Ride the Ducks is a must-do for everyone, even native Seattleites. This 90 minute ride will give you a tour of Seattle in such a unique way that it cannot be recreated by those who know Seattle like the back of their hand.
Take the ride on the WWII amphibious vehicles and enjoy 60 minutes of land tour through downtown Seattle, and neighboring neighborhoods and then 30 minutes cruising the water. You pass sites like Pike Place, the Fremont Troll, the house on Sleepless in Seattle, Gasworks Park, and much, much more.
It’s not just the sites you get to see, the “drivers” are your tour guide and they know a lot more than you would expect. I have lived in Seattle for 20 years and they definitely taught me a thing or two.
The experience is one of a kind when you ride the ducks. First, the drivers are entertainers at heart. When I rode the ducks, my driver’s name was Joaquin D. Plank. Get it? Walking the plank (ha ha). These guys (or gals) have you singing and dancing all through the streets of downtown Seattle. All the pedestrians on the sidewalks start dancing too, it’s contagious! To the “YMCA “to “Love Potion No. 9”, there’s never a dull moment.
Before boarding the vehicle, you can visit the little shop, gift shop, if you will, and for only a dollar or so, you can purchase your very own “quacker”. These are little duck beaks that you blow into and out comes a quacking sound. So, as you are riding the ducks, you can quack like one too!
When I rode the ducks, it was with my sorority for Dad’s day. All the girls brought their dads and enjoyed the ride together. My dad bought me a quacker as a way to say “thanks”.
There are “Ride the Ducks” tours in most major cities, so if you are traveling in the near future, this would be great anyplace! Check out more locations here.
Peace and Love [tie-dye]
Don’t feel like shopping, but want to spice up your wardrobe? Channel those groovy hippies and tie-dye some clothes! Tie-dye shirts are great to make with a big group of friends, because the dye that has to be purchased is way more than enough for one person.
You can tie-dye any article of clothing, even socks and underwear! But the most common is a shirt. It is fun to dye them the colors of your school so you can wear them and be spirited. You can also dye cool shapes and designs into your shirt or other article of clothing such as a spiral or a heart.
I have mastered the spiral and the wave, but most of the time I just put my rubber bands wherever and see what cool design it turns out to be. The more random, the better sometimes!
You definitely don’t have to be artistic to do this activity, trust me. This is a fun way to spend the afternoon.
Make sure to do this outside or in a garage, or if you are inside, put plenty of paper or plastic on the floors, as sometimes the dye can get everywhere.
You can buy tie-dye kits at any arts and crafts store and the following video can lead you through the steps of tie-dye so you can create the perfect masterpiece!
Garden d’Lights
Another festive idea for the holidays: visit a light garden. There is one in Bellevue at the Botanical Gardens that is really extraordinary, the Garden d’Lights. There are thousands of Christmas lights hung everywhere. There are scenes set up, and, since it is a garden, there are very diverse trees of all different shapes and sizes that are lit up by colorful lights.
It doesn’t take too long to enjoy the entirety of the garden; it is well worth the time. The viewing is free, but they do accept donations.
This is a great idea for a winter date. Order some venti hot chocolates from the nearest coffee shop (probably a Starbucks, let’s get real) and sip on them to keep warm while taking in the beauty of the holidays. The setting is very quiet, which can be romantic.
Or this is a great place just for a group of friends. Bring a camera and try to fit in with the scenery; ether way you will enjoy yourself and enjoy the holidays a little bit more. Light gardens like these are only here for a month out of the year, so take advantage of it!
Make Your Own Fun Night!
This is an idea for the creative side of a person. Make Your Own Fun Night. This is a night that has to start with absolutely no expectations, and must be completely spontaneous; you can’t plan it a week in advance.
The rules of Make Your Own Fun Night:
- Spontaneously instigated by a person
- About 5 random goals are written out
- Get as dressed up or as dressed down as you would like
- Accomplish all goals before coming back.
- Do not tell anyone what you are doing.
The most important rule is #2: make up random goals. Now this all depends on where the area you are planning on having this Make Your Own Fun Night.
Some good ideas:
-As the note I just recently received: you can impersonate someone or something all night, such as a “she-wolf”. Not that there is any true definition, but it’s definitely fun to take on an alter ego while on adventures.
-Crash a party. See a bunch of people outside of a house, or a really long line to get into a door, but you don’t know anyone there? Make friends with random people or pretend you are a friend of a friend of a friend and by the end of the night everyone will think you fit in and are supposed to be there. Just don’t crash a State Dinner Party.
-Make a goal of how many numbers you can get. Whether you are a guy or a girl, you can go out and get numbers. So turn your charm on and get those numbers!
-Try to get someone to ask for your number (yes, I know this task is much easier for girls than guys, but everyone can do it). This one is a little harder than the previous rule, but the chase only adds something to the night.
-Convince someone to give you something that they are wearing. My personal favorite was when I convinced a guy that his sunglasses would look better on me that on him and he gave them to me. I wore them the rest of the night. A little disclaimer: this should not be stealing something of someone’s; they must willingly give it to you.
-Find a tree to climb; this is harder than most people think, depending on the area. See who can get the farthest up the tree.
-For those 21’ers: see how many drinks you can get purchased for you or make it a goal to karaoke to the most ridiculous song, perhaps the Spice Girls?
-Snipe Hunting: this works so great if one person can convince the rest of the group that snipes are real. Convince the group that they live in the water and then when no one is looking, throw something in the lake or whatever body of water and say it’s a snipe, and then get everyone in the water hunting for the snipe. A midnight swim can be unexpectedly fun.
There are tons of options and the sky is the limit for goals for a Make Your Own Fun Night. The fun part is trying to accomplish them and not let anyone know that you are on a hunt or on the prowl. So get creative and set the bar high! Make Your Own Fun!
