One Thing I’m Doing to Make My Leisurely TV Time Feel Special This Season
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This whole staying-at-home-by-public-health-order thing is important, but also exhausting, and I need a break from the monotony. That’s why I’m looking forward to fall and winter, different though they may look this year. The seasons give me a not-sad, not-actually-scary reason to ensconce my family at home, stay in, and cuddle close. It makes staying home feel like something I’d be doing anyway, and in that, I can cling to some sense of both freedom and “normal days.” I will take it and I’m looking forward to it.
One way I’m going to honor this planned time at home is to schedule in leisure time. I know this sounds silly at first. After all, everyone has been finding creative ways to fill time for months. But by penciling in some thought-through entertainment options and marking the calendar with marathons my family can look forward to, we’ll transform “finding stuff to do” into making our own fun.
Tomorrow is Halloween, and what better way is there to kick off a fall and winter home-bound holiday season than watching a favorite spooky flick? It can be the kick-off, the first of many seasonal shows you’ll plan for a season punctuated by cinematic delight.
This weekend, take some time to schedule your Netflix nights.
This weekend: Make a year-end watch plan.
You know the drill of finally plopping down on the couch, the responsibilities of the day put behind you, looking forward to a break from thinking and, to a certain extent, being. But you can’t really escape reality if you don’t know what to veg out to! Making a plan will help you maximize your down time; you won’t be wasting it wondering what to pick and you can relax without the stress of deciding what to watch.
This weekend, jot down a list of things to watch and display it on the fridge. (Or store it with your remote or on a digital list on your phone.) Start with a list of yearly seasonal favorite stand-alone movies. Pepper in seasonal episodes of favorite shows. Next, fill in with movie franchises. Those will keep you busy, for sure! Add in your own made-up categories, such as Oscar Winners from Every Even Year From 1990 to 2010 or Movies People Are Shocked I Haven’t Seen.
Bonus assignment: Make a seasonal reading plan. This doesn’t mean the books are necessarily seasonal, although I, for one, am partial to reading winter-set books in December, but the same premise of picking ahead of time so you don’t waste time deciding holds.
If you’re interested in more getting-ready-for-the-season tips, join the Holiday Cure!
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Remember: This is about improvement, not perfection. Each week you can either choose to work on the assignment we’ve sent you, or tackle another project you’ve been meaning to get to. It’s also completely okay to skip a weekend if you’re busy or not feeling the assignment.