Board Games: The Original Multiplayer Mode
Dust off Monopoly, Clue, Scrabble or literally anything that forces eye contact and the occasional betrayal. It's pure holiday bonding with a side of competitive spirit (bonus points if someone dramatically flips the board like they're auditioning for a Real Housewives Christmas Special).
There’s nothing like arguing over whether zarf is a real word while your phone sits face-down in another room and every card flip suddenly feels high-stakes. There’s no lag time or pings, just your cousin Dave insisting he never landed on Boardwalk even though three witnesses say otherwise.
Make the Handwritten Holiday Card Cool Again<!--EndFragment--><!--EndFragment-->
Putting pen to paper in 2025 feels almost rebellious, but a handwritten card hits different…like catching “Home Alone” on cable TV instead of clicking a button on Netflix. Nobody's framing your group text that says "merry xmas lol," but a card with your actual handwriting, maybe a coffee stain and definitely some questionable penmanship is the stuff people proudly display on their mantel. It’s physical proof that you cared enough to lick an envelope, which is practically a grand gesture by modern standards.
The No-Post Challenge: Make Memories, Not Content
For one day (or if you really want to go all in, the whole week), try a No-Post Challenge. Take photos, sure, but keep them for yourself. No stories or reels. No Facebook posts with “Merry Chrisssssmasss from us!!!” with 47 s’s. Just real moments, lived in real time, without worrying about catching your “good side” while unwrapping socks from crazy Aunt Linda. It’s amazing how much more fun you can have when your brain isn’t waiting for likes that won’t arrive because everyone else is also busy unwrapping their own socks from their own crazy aunt.
Cook Something Without Consulting YouTube
Pick a recipe from an actual cookbook or that stained index card your grandma wrote in 1977. No tablet propped on the counter, no pausing mid-stir to rewatch step three for the fifth time. Sure, you might oversalt something or forget that "fold" and "stir" are completely different techniques. But there’s freedom in not having someone's Ring light-lit kitchen as your baseline, just you, your wooden spoon and the quiet hope the smoke detector behaves.
Rediscover the Lost Art of Doing Nothing
Remember when boredom was just… normal? The magic was in the waiting, not live-tweeting your turkey dinner. Park yourself on the couch with no agenda and no screen. Cozy up with your spiked drink of choice and the radical concept of just letting your mind wander. Stare at the tree lights, watch the snow fall, think about all those New Year's resolutions you absolutely have no intention of keeping or pick up a book (yes, a physical book) and lose yourself for a while.
This is exactly what people did in the ’80s while waiting for their pizza rolls to cool. Boredom isn’t the enemy; it’s where your brain gets to reset, recharge and remember what it actually thinks about things without an algorithm poking it every twelve seconds.
The Payoff: A Holiday That Feels Real Again
When you unplug, even just a little, the pressure to perform, post and prove that it really is “The Most Wonderful Time of the Year” evaporates, and you’re left with what actually matters: terrible sweaters, burnt cookies, board-game betrayals and the kind of memories that don't need a caption.
This year, take a break from the digital noise and let the moment breathe. The internet will survive without you. You might miss whatever frantic online moment is trending for the next six minutes, but trust that you will survive. What you won't miss is the actual holiday happening right in front of you, waiting for you to put the phone down and just be present. Because the best Christmas memories are the ones you live, not the ones you upload.