Eating, moving, and grooving (supporting your personal well-being) is important all through the year. They are the three cornerstones for healthy living based on Eat Move Groove: Unlock the Simple Steps to Lifelong Nutrition, Fitness & Wellness. I asked our amazing Eat Move Groove interns how they enjoy eating, moving, and grooving through the holiday season this year. They have some wonderful ideas to share!
Erin Pawelczyk: Playing pickleball with my family over the holidays is one of my favorite ways to get moving and create some friendly competition during the holidays!
My favorite part of the holidays is being with my family. We are all in different parts of the country now and have our schedules full, so the holidays make it easy for us all to spend time together. Now, everyone in my family is incredibly competitive, so naturally we always have some kind of competition included in our holiday plans.
One year our competition was various games of tennis doubles, another year was cookie decorating (you would be surprised how competitive that can be), another year consisted of the ultimate Uno showdown, but this year we had a family pickleball tournament. I wish I could say I was an expert pickleball player, but that title will definitely have to be given to my sister-in-law. Although I lost more games than I won, it was so fun to be able to get moving, compete, and smack-talk with my family! I wonder what competition we will do next year…
Amanda Garcia: Baking cookies with my grandma over the holidays is one of my favorite ways to get in the holiday spirit and spend time with my family! It is something I look forward to every year.
My favorite part of the holidays is baking cookies with my grandma. Each year, we pick out a few different kinds of cookies and spend all day making them. Now that I’m in college, I especially cherish spending time with my family even more than ever. Everyone in my family gathers in the kitchen. My grandma and I split tasks between everyone, my grandma and I mostly bake the cookies ourselves.
Every year after we plan which cookies we are making, we create a grocery list to ensure we purchase everything, but we always end up taking multiple trips to the grocery store because of something we forgot. Thankfully, the store isn’t far from my house. Part of the reason I love baking so much is because I grew up with my grandma baking for me or with me. I spend most of my breaks at home cooking or baking. Baking these cookies with my grandma gets me in my best groove!
Grace Soroko: My favorite part of the holidays is cooking traditional foods with my grandmothers!
My favorite part of the holidays is cooking and eating with my family. I come from a multicultural and religious household where both Christmas and Hanukkah are celebrated. Holidays for us are all about LOVE foods and spending time with family. When Hanukkah rolls around, my cousins and I fry latkes with our Bubbe and make homemade applesauce. Every year we always debate whether sour cream or applesauce goes better with latkes (I’m with team sour cream)!
Around Christmas, my family and I bake and decorate cookies with my Nonnie. Usually, we stick to the basics: sugar cookies, gingerbread cookies, and walnut snowballs. I like a good challenge, and recently, I have been getting into the New York Times’ Christmas Cookies! On Christmas Eve, my family always has Chinese takeout for dinner — which is traditionally eaten on Christmas Day in Jewish-American households. On Christmas morning, we indulge in bagels and “schmear” while opening presents. Afterward, I always cook dinner with my dad, and my favorite dish by far is mac n’ cheese!
Jenna Funke: Supporting my siblings at their sporting events while I am back home is one of my favorite ways to spend my time during the holidays!
In my household, the holidays revolve around eating, gift-giving, and competition. Coming from a family of athletes, most of our time is spent running to different sporting events, whether at the middle school, the high school, or the collegiate level. My family is not one to sit still, so we enjoy getting the most out of our days, especially when we’re all together. Although this may seem like a chaotic lifestyle, it’s one that I’m proud to be a part of.
Cheering on my siblings and their teammates as they participate in a sport they genuinely appreciate is something that brings me loads of fulfillment. Although it may be competitive at times - or all of the time - you can always expect these functions to be filled with smiles, laughter, and friendliness. During the holidays, it’s important to stay true to your own self and continue grooving by doing something that brings you the most joy!
Kendra Dantoin: Living in the moment, cherishing time with loved ones, and appreciating the memories we create together are what I enjoy most during the holiday season.
My boyfriend and I decided to spend a weekend at a cabin to take a break before the holiday season. The fresh snow and quiet woods felt like the perfect escape from the usual rush. We wanted something simple and calming. The cabin was surrounded by snow-covered trees, and the stillness of the woods made it easy to unwind and enjoy the moment.
We went for a long hike through snowy trails. It was nice to get outside without any distractions. The air felt so refreshing, and the quiet of the woods made the hike feel peaceful. The sunlight reflecting off the snow added a little warmth to the chilly day, making it a perfect way to spend the morning.
Back at the cabin, we drank hot cocoa, played cards, solved a mystery game, and made cozy homemade meals. It was not anything fancy, but it felt good to slow down and spend time together - without a schedule. The weekend gave us the reset we needed before jumping into everything the holidays bring!
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