While no college student will admit this, a holiday break that extends over more than a month is simply too long.
Like during summer, there comes a point where the novelty of being out of class evaporates and it becomes a challenge to schedule a day’s worth of activities that does not involve sleeping over 12 hours and watching TV for the other half a day.
Luckily the Vanguard is here to help.
Here are a few activities that will keep you busy and, most importantly, ensure you refrain from uttering the dreaded phrase, “I’m bored. When does school start again?”
Visit the Pittock Mansion
With beautiful views of downtown, the Pittock Mansion has long been one of the most heavily visited destinations for visitors and locals alike.
During the holiday season the Mansion is decked out with lights and a different holiday theme each year. This year, Clement Clark Moore’s poem “The Night before Christmas” is the focus.
Take TriMet to the Pittock Mansion and receive a discount to admittance or take the Pittock Mansion shuttle bus from Pioneer Square. The bus has roundtrip service every weekend and makes four runs per hour. Mansion admission is $7 per person.
Provide a helping hand
During the holiday season, most people are inherently selfish. It’s all about what gifts I want, all the food I am going to eat at parties and how I wish to spend my time.
But aren’t the holidays called the “Season of Giving” more times than not? Well, yes, which is why you should turn your attention to others and give back a bit.
Help out by wrapping presents, participating in a gift giveaway, ringing a donation bell for the Salvation Army, delivering food for Loaves and Fishes or partaking in any other act of kindness.
Now any of these options are sure to deliver a warmer feeling than simply sitting around and pondering, “What do I want this holiday season?”
Take in a show
We all know that Portland is one of the best cities in the United States for the music industry, so why not take advantage of time away from school and homework and catch a show.
Bone Thugs and Family, The Pretenders, Cold War Kids and Pink Martini are just some of the groups scheduled to perform in the Rose City during the long holiday break.
Go to Mount Hood
From downtown Portland, Mount Hood simply looks like a huge, snow-capped peak way off in the distance. However, the truth is the 11,000-foot mountain is much closer than even your best estimates might say.
About an hour from the heart of Portland, Mount Hood is the perfect place to spend an otherwise uneventful day during the holiday break and get in touch with your outdoor side at the same time.
And the list of possible activities to partake in on the mountain is seemingly endless. You could buy a couple of cheap sleds and have hours of fun darting down the snowy hillside as a human missile, hike on one of many scenic trails, bring a camera and sightsee, ski or snowboard at one of four lodges, or simply strike up a snowball fight.
Regardless of which option you choose, it will surely be better than sitting around your apartment watching the vomit-inducing sensation that is weekday TV.
Go to a play or holiday performance
What would the holiday season be without a little holiday music and performances?
The Von Trapp Family Christmas, The Singing Christmas Tree, Portland Jazz Orchestra and The Nutcracker will all be performed in connection with the Portland Center for the Performing Arts.
One performance you have to see is A Tuna Christmas, which runs frequently between now and Christmas at the Dolores Winningstad Theatre, located inside the Hatfield Hall, 1111 S.W. Broadway.
The hilarious play portrays a Texas town with a population of 24, where the citizens compete in a yard-decorating contest and produce a version of A Christmas Carol.
Bring out your inner child at Zoo Lights
If you have kids, want to be around kids or just want to be a kid, check out the Zoo Lights at the Oregon Zoo.
While only a few of the actual animals are visible during Zoo Lights, the event is quite the spectacle with more than a million lights decorating the zoo landscape.
Admission is a bit steep ($10 if you want the train ride) and the park only stays open until early in the evening, but this is an event worth checking out at least once, especially if you like animals, Christmas lights and loud children, or any combination of those things.
Check out Oregon’s scenic sites
With all its glitz, glamour, hustle and bustle, Portland is definitely nice. But there comes a point where every urbanite has met his or her threshold, and just needs some sort of escape from the city.
This is where the beautiful Columbia Gorge comes into play.
Whether the small-town essence of Hood River is your ideal getaway, or hiking the trails along the Columbia River Gorge Scenic Highway or taking in the majestic brilliance of Multnomah Falls is more your speed, the gorge is full of adventures.
Don’t miss the lights on Peacock Lane
One of the more well known but under-mentioned holiday attractions in Portland, the lights on Peacock Lane featured in Southeast Portland are a must-see, free activity.
The street, which is located between Southeast Stark and Belmont streets and one block east of Southeast 39th, features a neighborhood full of decorated and brightly lit homes. The homes will be lit from Dec. 15–31.
A valuable tip is parking at the nearby Walgreen’s or walking over from the beautiful Laurelhurst Park, which is just a couple of blocks away.
Enjoy a big-screen experience
Maybe you are unwilling, or unable, to flee the city to enjoy yourself during break. Well, the good news is you don’t have to.
Luckily for urban dwellers theaters are ubiquitous, and there are a slew of new movies being released over break.
Here are a few options:
Will Smith is notorious for dominating the box office on another holiday, the Fourth of July, however, this year the two-time Academy Award nominee looks to take hold of Christmas, too. Seven Pounds, the tale of a man that tries to change the lives of seven others, comes out on Dec. 19.
For the pet enthusiast, Marley & Me is slated to hit the big screen on Christmas Day, and while it will not be the most stimulating film, it looks to at least elicit a few laughs.
Starring Tom Cruise and boasting director Bryan Singer, Valkyrie is the story of a colonel’s struggles to take down Adolf Hitler and Germany before all of Europe is destroyed. This action thriller is out Dec. 26.
Sport it up
It is no secret that late December and early January are saturated with sports, from college bowl games, to the NFL playoffs, to hockey to NBA action.
But if you want to remove yourself from the couch and actually attend a few live sporting events, Portland has a multitude of exciting options, including the Blazers, Lumberjacks, Winterhawks, Portland State athletics and prep sports.