Things to do in between Christmas & the New Year

With Christmas feasting now out the way, you’re in the lazy-but-lovely lull waiting for the New Year and looking for things to do. So we’ve got you covered with some great ideas from our team.

Get cooking!
Christmas always leaves a whole host of delicious left-overs that can be turned into scrumptious creations. Take our Brussels Sprouts Raw Slaw for example, it uses up any left-over Brussels and is a great addition to any salad if you’re looking for something a bit lighter after your roast Turkey!

This time is also great for practising any baking skills (Getting you ready for GBBO in the summer) and is always more fun when you get people involved. So why not grab the kids and make our Chocolate Mud Pie Ice-Cream Cookies? These are super easy, incredibly yummy and is a great exercise for bringing everyone together.

Getting out and about
With all of the indulgences that the festive season has to offer, sometimes its good to get out in the open and let off some steam (or burn off all the chocolates consumed!). We’re very lucky that the UK is full of scenic walks, routes and paths so whether it’s a seaside stroll, a hillside hike or a trail through town, wrap up warm and get those steps in.

If you’re looking for ideas for a longer day out for the whole family, we recommend taking a look at your local National Trust properties and parks, or searching for free online walking guides.

Re-use and Re-gift
Where we can, we like to avoid waste and so each year, members of our teams turn Christmas cards they’ve received into festive tags. This is a great activity to do whilst watching your favourite film (with a pack or two of our Snacking & Sharing recipes) and sets you up nicely for gift-wrapping next year.

We’ve all been in the position where you receive a gift, and you may already have it, or it might not be your personal cup of tea. But…you have no way of returning it and don’t want to see it wasted. So why not visit any local charities in your nearest town to see if they are looking for anything that can go to good use. Foodbanks are a great start with any spare tins of biscuits, jars of jam etc that can be distributed to those who don’t always have access to food. Then clothing items are great to pop into local charity clothing bins. There are all sorts of ways that gifts can be put to good use, whilst helping others who may need a helping hand.

Family fun & Games
Christmas is typically the season big family gatherings or catching up with friends and what better way to have some festive fun (and potential family fallouts!) than a good old fashioned game! Amy in our Brand Team recommends something she calls ‘the paper game’ (not one of her more creative moments) – each person writes between 5-10 things, places or people down on pieces paper and then everyone puts them into a bowl. In pairs, you take it in turns to describe what’s written on each piece of paper (you have 30 seconds to do as many as you can before moving on to the next pair). Once all pieces of paper have been successfully deciphered, you put all of the same pieces of paper back into the bowl. The next round, you have to describe what’s written in just a single word, so pay attention as you need to remember what’s been said previously! Once everyone has guessed correctly, you again put the same paper back into the bowl and for the final time, you must act that thing, place or person out to your partner. The pair with the highest number of points wins!

Alternatively, a classic game of Heads Up! or the old fashioned charades is just as good.