While many idealize vacationing to a faraway place during Winter Break, such as Mexico, or perhaps Hogwarts, there are many ways to get away from the monotony of everyday life without actually leaving the area.

Arlington is a great place to live; during the holidays it comes alive with holiday cheer, and there are countless opportunities for a day full of fun.  Additionally, the proximity to Washington, D.C. is a huge boon.

“I love staying home for the holidays, especially since I’ve moved to Arlington, because there is so much to do,” said junior Tyler Parker.  “My family has a tradition of creating huge gingerbread villages – it is a great family activity, and you can do it with friends, too, if you want.”

In order to craft the perfect gingerbread village, one must be dedicated to the sport.  The occasion calls for a run to the local grocery store and the purchase of around four to five gingerbread house kits (or more if one is feeling ambitious).  Then, creativity must ensue.

“My favorite part of crafting the perfect gingerbread village is decorating with icing, but the mistake that most people make is when they only use the white frosting from the tube.  Instead, what you gotta do is make your own icing,” said Parker.

Not only will it taste better, he argued, but “you can dye the icing different colors to really bring your gingerbread houses to life.”

One can ring in the holidays with trips to see the Nutcracker, the White House Christmas Tree, and Zoolights at the National Zoo in Washington, D.C. as well.

Senior Kendra Levy highly recommends the Nutcracker, giving this season’s production a superb rating of “10/10.”

“The costumes are beautiful, the sets are beautiful, the music is fun.  It really puts you in the holiday mood,” said Levy.  “It is the best performance I have ever seen.”

A fun-ensured day could also consist of attending ICE! at the Gaylord National in National Harbor.  With more than two million pounds of colored ice, the Gaylord allows visitors to admire masterfully carved sculptures and slide down two story high ice slides.  No one is ever too old for an ice slide.

The only thing that could make staying in Arlington for Winter Break more exciting would be a little bit of holiday snow.