This Holiday Bucket List Is the Best Way to Treat Yourself Right Now

There’s a lot to love about the holidays: sweater weather, amazing food, friends and family. But the end of the year is also notoriously hectic, between wrapping up projects at work, coordinating who’s going where for the holidays, and trying to get everyone’s gifts on time. 

Honestly, it’s time to put the “I” back in “holiday.” 

This year, instead of solely focusing on your holiday to-do list, treat yourself by chipping away at this holiday bucket list. It’s filled with solo seasonal activities you can do during festive nights in spent enjoying your own company. 

Do you have meaningful photos you’ve been meaning to organize? Put together an album or scrapbook over the course of a few evenings. Brooklyn-based mental health counselor Anya Dangora says engaging in a creative project that gives you a break from screen time can be a great way to spend your evening. 

Even on a night in, it’s nice to quickly pop out for some crisp air. If there’s snow where you live, breathe in that freshness while rolling and stacking a mini snow buddy. 

Sometimes, you can’t see everyone you want during the holidays. Get all the benefits of catching up with your favorite person without needing to dress up for a party — win-win! 

Making a gingerbread house is an essential part of the holidays. Skip the fuss of baking cookie pieces yourself and build this hassle-free, iconic Barbie dreamhouse. If you’re feeling extra inspired, spring for the Barbie camper van, too!

Expressing gratitude can provide mental and physical benefits, according to Mayo Clinic. In fact, feeling thankful can improve sleep, mood, and even immunity, per the health system. Here’s a prompt to get you started: What is one quality about yourself that you appreciate the most?

Making your own chunky knit blanket is an extremely rewarding way to spend evenings with yourself. What’s great about this beginner-friendly tutorial is that you can make it without any tools, and it requires no knitting experience. Plus, you can start and stop it whenever you wish — this is a project you can return to throughout the holiday season. 

Who doesn’t appreciate a holiday movie? Now think bigger. Give yourself the gift of a holiday movie marathon, or marathon your favorite TV show’s holiday episodes. 

Holiday baking can often feel more like work than celebratory, but lean into the pleasure element with this three-ingredient cookie. Bonus: Your house will smell like freshly baked cookies.

Keep yourself warm on a chilly night with a snow-scented bath bomb, like this “Snowdrift” option from Lush. A long soak with scents like eucalyptus, peppermint, and lemongrass should leave you relaxed (and Lush bath bombs are known for being particularly aesthetically pleasing as well). 

After you’ve soaked and scrubbed, brighten up your fingertips with some festive nail polish or stick-on nails. Don’t forget a peppermint face mask and foot scrub.  

Put in that takeout order from that great bakery nearby you’ve been meaning to try, or request that boba tea order you normally can’t justify for delivery. 

Make a dent in that pile of books on your nightstand that you’ve been meaning to read. Feeling decision fatigue when you try to select a book? Just close your eyes and point to this no-bad-choice list of the best books of 2023, according to Barnes & Noble. 

Creativity for the win (again!). Curate your own festive centerpiece using grocery store flowers for a cheer boost that lasts for days. 

Take the time if you’ve got it to queue up your go-to seasonal tracks and listen to them all from start to finish. Cuddle up under a weighted blanket, close your eyes, and listen to your favorite seasonal playlist. If you don’t know what to play, Vince Guaraldi’s A Charlie Brown Christmas is a crowd-pleaser. 

Count down to the holidays by cracking open an advent calendar full of things you love, or even a self-care advent calendar. Enjoy a little luxury each night all season long. Or, open a few in one night — who’s gonna know?