Christmas Light Scavenger Hunt CHALLENGE

Driving around the 'hood during the holidays is a great tradition, but can get a little repetitive. Thus the rising popularity of Christmas lights scavenger hunts on the internet. But what happens when those scavenger hunt starts to get old, because they all include the same, common items? Introducing a scavenger hunt for people who enjoy a challenge ... anyone able to check off all THESE items has earned their eggnog! 

1. House with 10 or more inflatables
2. House with 15 or more lighted lawn sculptures
3. House with Christmas tree on roof
4. House with Santa and/or sled on roof
5. House with a word spelled out on the roof in Christmas lights
6. The word "Believe" in any shape or form
7. House with lights on the lawn or ground
8. Minion inflatable or decoration
9. Star Wars inflatable or decoration
10. Zoo animal inflatable or decoration (can't be penguins or polar bears)
11. Disney character NOT from Frozen inflatable or decoration
12. Nightmare Before Christmas inflatable or decoration
13. Superhero/Marvel Comics inflatable or decoration
14. Inflatable or decoration taller than the house (decorated trees don't count)
15. Leg lamp inflatable or decoration
16. Holiday lawn flamingo(s)
17. Nativity scene featuring cartoon characters
18. Nativity scene that includes Santa
19. Larger-than-life Santa that's NOT an inflatable
20. Glowing plastic Santa
21. Beach/surfer Santa
22. Decorations that reference a sport or sports team
23. Animated/moving inflatable or decoration
24. Decorated camper, RV or car
25. Decorated garage door
26. Lighted tunnel or series or archways
27. House with lights that are falling off (or strand of lights that has stopped working)
28. Mismatched icicle lights
29. House with candles AND wreaths in every window
30. House with 10 or more wreaths
31. House with faux snow (snow machine or flocking)
32. House decorated in just one color that's NOT gold or silver/white
33. Animated 2D wire-frame decoration (ex: reindeer jumping into air)
34. Something flying or moving through the air on a cable
35. 10 consecutive decorated houses in a row

100+ Ways to Waste Time on the Internet

Not that I have time to waste on the internet (other than the time I waste maintaining this blog), but I like the idea of having a list ready to go as preparation for retirement! 

There are lots of these types of lists on the internet, but wanted to assure potential readers that mine isn't a composite of others: all the ideas here are my own, so there are bound to be some novel ideas included. Though I've tried not to identify specific websites (posting internet links is just asking for people to change their links), there are times when I can't resist, because the websites are particular obsessions of mine.  Enjoy .... I'll join you soon! 

1. Take a Myers-Briggs test to find out your personality type. Then spend the next 10hrs incessantly researching your personality type
2. Join Pinterest and create a collection of your favorite toys when you were a child
3. Use Google Earth's "street view" function to travel around the world. All those places you've always wanted to see? Go see them! 
4. Look up historical highway markers in your part of the state
5. Pick a favorite song or artist and look up "reaction videos" of people listening to the song for the first time
6. Look up a craft and make it at home
7. Assemble a month's worth of recipes
8. Look up the website of a magazine you wish you subscribed to and read a bunch of articles
9. Look up stuff that happened in the world on the day you were born
10. Watch a TEDTalk
11. Watch a documentary
12. Listen to old radio shows, like Lux Radio Theater, Gunsmoke, or Yours Truly Johnny Dollar
13. Make a list of desserts you want to try sometime in your life
14. Visit one of those "postsecret" websites and share your deepest secrets with strangers
15. Look up riddles and write down good ones to use later
16. Make a list of new books to read
17. Turn yourself into a bitmoji
18. Play a replica of your favorite childhood video game
19. Read 2 sentence ghost stories
20. Start (or update) a family genealogy
21. Take a virtual tour of your favorite museum
22. Look up toys you used to own and see how much they're worth today
23. Look up optical illusions
24. Look up sarcastic Amazon reviews
25. Download anatomy coloring pages
26. Look up the current Badass of the Week
27. Send online cards to people
28. Go to a contest collection site and enter contests
29. Learn the birdcalls of birds that live in your area
30. Learn to play a simple song on a piano simulator
31. Read fanfiction inspired by a favorite character, TV show or book
32. Learn how to write your name in different languages, including heiroglyphics
33. Do a carbon footprint calculator to see how much CO2 your family generates
34. Catalog your personal library using GoodReads or LibraryThing
35. Use a house decorating website to plan your perfect room (or house)
36. Look up what pets are available for adoption at local animal shelters
37. Use a real estate app like Zillow to see how much your home would sell for - and, of course, how much your neighbors paid for their homes
38. Watch livestreams from underwater bathyscopes, zoos, or aquariums
39. Play The Oregon Trail. Try not to die of dysentery
40. Go to Mix and discover new websites
41. Memorize a poem
42. Do an "on this day" search in Wikipedia to see what interesting things may have happened  
43. Start a blog
44. find a live earthquake map and figure out which places on earth are currently experiencing quakes
45. Find a live FAA feed and see which planes are in the air
46. Tune into a radio station from another country
47. Look up how to do the Hustle or some other line dance
48. Compare how a major news event is covered in U.S. papers vs. European papers
49. Watch clips of Antiques Roadshow personnel as they value antiques
50. Watch clips from Broadway shows, performed by the original performers
51. Learn how to say "I actually speak _____" in multiple languages, so that when you suspect people are talking about you in a foreign language, you can make them feel bad
52. Use a simple story-building app to create a children's storybook 
53. Create a simple video game in Scratch
54. Use one of those "What Should I Read Next" apps to identify books worth reading
55. Apply different filters to your selfie
56. Find an ocean depth simulator and find out how long it will be until your city disappears underwater thanks to climate change-caused sea level rise
57. Start (or continue to work on) personal bucket list
58. Look up new lifehacks
59. Upload your selfie and find out which great work of art you most resemble
60. Do random science simulations at Phet
61. Listen to incoming cosmic rays
62. Check out Snopes to see which scams are going around
63. Download fonts
64. Go to a writing prompt website and use it to write a short story
65. Dissect a frog
66. Listen to a completely different genre of music than you're used to
67. Look up weirdest animals/plants/insects on Earth
68. Take a class from an online MOOG
69. Research tattoos you might want to get
70. Read an online book
71. Watch episodes of Epic Rap Battles of History
72. Watch espisode of ThugLit
73. Watch episodes of Drunk History
74. Find a meme generator and create some original memes
75. Learn and practice Morse Code
76. Add songs to your Spotify (or other) music account
77. Look up funny tombstone inscriptions
78. Download paper dolls
79. Look up how to doodle or draw simple shapes
80. Visit the menus of famous restaurants and figure out what you would order
81. Look up upcoming concert dates for favorite musical groups or shows
82. Broaden your vocabulary by looking up obscure words
83. Check out recent editorial cartoons
84. Go to freecycle or some other website that specializes in giving stuff away and see what's available for picking up
85. Find an actuarial table or questionnaire and find out how long you are expected to live (Deathclock)
86. See if there are any sexual offenders living in your neighborhood
87. Watch the best commercials from Superbowls past
88. Write an article and post it to Medium
89. Update your Amazon wishlist
90. Make a list of cocktails you'd like to try
91. Plan a dream vacation. Include all destinations, hotels, and restaurants. Cost is no object!
92. Listen to a podcast
93. Take a Buzzfeed quiz. So many to choose from!
94. Mix your own electronic music (Patatap, Incredibox)
95. Learn card magic tricks
96. Answer people's questions on Quora
97. Update a Wikipedia page
98. Upload your selfie to various makeup sites to try out different hairstyles and looks (DailyMakeover)
99. Make a playlist of exercise videos for when you're feeling more lively
100. Online paint by numbers. Just when you thought paint by numbers was insultingly easy
101. Watch live webcam footage - tourist attractions, cute animals, coral reefs ... whatever floats your boat
102. Go to Google and click "I Feel Lucky"

100 Totally Fun Things to do at Christmas

 

There's a reason so many people feel like the holiday season is an impossible whirl of activity, errands, and obligations: took me less than an hour to brainstorm the following list of 100 traditional ways to celebrate the Christmas season.

Perhaps this list will help remind you of traditions you might otherwise overlook ... or inspire you to build new holiday traditions with the people you love.

1. Find the Perfect Tree.  Nothing gets my family in the Christmas mood like our annual trip to the local Christmas tree lot in early December.  The smell of fresh-cut evergreen, our breath emerging in puffs in the chill evening air, little kids playing hide-and-seek among the stands, the thrill of finding the perfect tree and tying it onto the top of the car ... all of these make this one of my very favorite Christmas rituals.
2. Slay your own Christmas tree. Or, look up Christmas tree farms, load up your handsaw, and get the freshest tree there is.
3. Decorate the tree (or trees!). You can use the same ornaments every year, or get creative and create a new tree every year with decorations you collect and/or make yourself.  (See Theme Christmas Tree Ideas.)
4. Make Christmas Tree ornaments.  Check out any of the hundreds of websites, books and/or magazines packed with homemade ornament ideas: there's something for every taste, price, and ability level.
5. Set up a train around the base of your tree.  All the kids in your family will flock to your house to play with it.
6. Create a Wreath.  Choose from dozens of ideas: floral wreaths, grapevine wreaths, holly wreaths, fruit wreaths, candy wreaths, jingle bell wreaths, etc. (See Wreath Ideas)
7. Deck the halls with boughs of holiday. Channel your inner Fezziwig and drape festoons of pine and holly from the rafters or doorframes.  (Those 3M wall hooks with the removeable two-sided tape work well for this.)
8. Don't forget the poinsettia. Every part of the house looks more festive with forsythia.  Grocery stores often sell small pots very inexpensively - as low as $1/plant - so buy a bunch!
9. It Takes a Village.  Set up one of those store-bought holiday villages on a nice crisp piece of white felt to simulate the season.  Kids particularly enjoy the sets that feature moving parts.
10. Light a candle.  The tradition of placing a lighted candle in the window of a house on Christmas eve harks back to the day when it was a symbol of welcome to Mary and Joseph as they travelled looking for shelter.  
11. Go retro.  Revive bygone holiday traditions such as draping your tree with tinsel, spraying your windows with fake snow, or draping popcorn/cranberry chains over the doorways of your house. 
12. Countdown to Christmas. Advent calendars come in all sizes and shapes, but the idea is the same: starting Dec 1, members of the family open one door each day until they reach Dec 25.  My favorites are the advent calendars with a little gift (a piece of candy, a candle, an ornament) behind each door.
13. Create an Outdoor Display. Share the joy of the holiday with your neighbors.  Feel free to do this tastefully (modest white lights along the roofline, perhaps a grapevine deer grazing in the yard) or dazzle them with a display of lights gaudy enough to humble Chevy Chase's character in National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation.
14. View Outdoor Christmas decorations.  The internet has become a great source for finding local houses and neighborhoods that stage particularly beautiful and/or tacky displays
15. Decorate the table for holiday dinner. The holidays are the perfect opportunity to show off your best china, linens and glassware.  This year, consider leaving the table set so others can admire the finery.
16. Enjoy a traditional holiday dinner.  Prepare a traditional holiday dinner, complete with roast beast (beef, duck, goose), robust side dishes (pumpkin, potatoes, carrots), and festive desserts (plum pudding).
17. Enjoy Christmas Day breakfast. Christmas dinner may be more traditional, but don't overlook the opportunity to establish Christmas day breakfast/brunch as a family favorite.  We make the meal special for the kids by serving pancakes in the shape of snowmen, with chocolate chip eyes, mouths, and buttons.
18. Prepare traditional foods.  Many families use the holidays as an opportunity to incorporate foods that reflect their racial or cultural heritage.  For instance, it wouldn't be Christmas at our house without the Baking of the Pasca, a traditional Slovak bread that's served with ham and pounds of butter.  (See It's Beginning to Taste a Lot Like Christmas.)
19. Get nutty.  Back in the day, nuts were called "sweetmeats" and were a major holiday tradition.  So pull out your favorite nutcracker and indulge.
20. Bake cookies. Perhaps the most traditional of holiday traditions!  To make this traditional activity more fun, my BFF and I always get together to do our baking at the same time, then we swap half of what we make so that each of us ends up with twice as many varieties.
21. Give cookies.  Cookies are a great way to spread cheer to coworkers, teachers, neighbors and others who are an important part of your life.  My second favorite thing to do with cookies (besides eating them): cookie exchange parties! 
22. Create with gingerbread. Make gingerbread cookies, gingerbread people, or gingerbread houses.  (One of our family customs is an annual gingerbread house decorating contest.)  It's festive and it smells great!
23. Enjoy holiday libations. Enjoy any of the many libations - wassail, egg nog, hot chocolate, mulled wine - traditionally associated with the season.
24. Eat fruitcake.  Do yourself a favor - bypass the store brands and spend a little extra to purchase a gourmet version from one of the better outlets: Macys, Harrods, etc.  Your stomach (and your teeth) will thank you.
25. Go to church.  Remember the reason for the season.  Give thanks to God for all His blessings.
26. Host a pageant. Sunday schools are the absolute best place to recruit for actors to reenact the night of Jesus's birth.
27. Display your creche. Remember Christ's birth with a creche inside or outside your home.  Stores sell nativity scenes ranging from traditional to art deco, from tabletop size to larger than life.  The one we display is really quite simple - curved grapevines arching over unpainted creamy ceramic figures - but suits our decor, and our faith.
28. Listen to the pealing of bells.  For me, there's no sound more associated with the holidays than the sound of bells - from the great booming peal of church bells to the hearty music of sleigh bells to the tinny clatter of jingle bells.  I like to hang sleigh bells from my doorknobs so that everytime I go in or out, I get to enjoy their heartening cheer.
29. Light candles.  Christmas is best celebrated by candlelight, from chandeliers alight with candles at ancient churches to the flickering glow of cinnamon-cented tea candles glowing through festive hurricanes at home.
30. Put on a pot of potpourri.  Christmas is also a season of delicious smells - evergreen, clove, frankenscence, cinnamon.  Fill your house with pretty bowls of potpourri or a leave a teapot filled with fragrance heating on your stove all season.
31. Put on a play.  Challenge the kids in your family to stage their own version of A Christmas Carol or The Night Before Christmas, or to invent a script of their own that celebrates the magic of the season.
32. Go wassailing.  Go caroling around your neighborhood, or carol in front of a local church or landmark.  (See Most Popular Christmas Carols)
33. Burn a yule log.  One of my favorite pagan traditions is the burning of the yule log.  The Druids would bless a log and keep it burning 12 days during the winter solstice; part of the log was kept for the following year, when it would be used to light the new yule log.  At the 400yr old college I attended, a yule log was burned in the largest, most ancient of the school's fireplaces: students would then file by hurling sprigs of holly into the fire for good luck.  (Predictably, there was always a rush to fit this in before taking finals.)
34. Roast things over the fire. All you need is a fireplace to indulge in such seasonal favorites as making popcorn over a live flame, roasting chestnuts, or melting marshmallows for homemade s'mores. 
35. Hang stockings.  Just make sure you use hooks sturdy enough to support a weight of coal ... just in case.
36. Go shopping. It's a shame this is the tradition most people probably think about first, and devote the most time to.  Which isn't to say that shopping isn't wonderful fun, especially that warm glow that comes from finding the perfect gift for someone you care about.
37. Enjoy the last minute panic. I have my grandmother to thank for introducing me to this seasonal tradition.  The idea is to finish your own shopping, then sit yourself up at a small table in the middle of your local shopping mall (preferrably with a cup of coffee to sip and perhaps a couple of gourmet chocolates to nibble on) and enjoy the energy - and occassional panic - of folks rushing by who aren't yet done.
38. Plan your Day After Christmas holiday shopping.  As you are shopping, make a list of items you'd love to purchase but that are to extravagent - or pricy - to justify.  Then use the list to guide your "day after Christmas" shopping, in hopes the items you covet will be on sale.
39. Indulge your inner child.  It is said that Christmas is a holiday for children: fortunately, all of us are children inside.  So go ahead!  Give yourself permission to visit a toy store; linger at a storefront to watch the toy train wend their way through tunnels and around bends; gape at gingerbread house displays; or thumb through the Sears Holiday Giftbook and figure out what you'd ask for if you were a kid.   
40. Make wish lists.  Someone's sure to ask you what you want for Christmas.  Be ready!  Online stores are especially convenient for windowshopping, and often offer "wish lists" where you can store your favorites.
41. Gape at shopping mall decorations.  Malls typically pull out all the stops to turn themselves into festive destinations during the Christmas season.  (Don't feel bad - they have a lot more money to spend than you, and professional designers to help them.)
42. Visit historic houses. Hunt out historical/notable homes in your area and enjoy the period decorations.  I'm fortunate enough to live in  the Virginia/D.C. where it's possible to visit a different historic house, mill, estate, or manor every day.
43. Take a hay ride/sleigh ride/horse-drawn carriage ride.  There's something magical about feeling the crisp air on your face and looking up at the stars as the rhythmic clop of horse's hooves keeps time.
44. See a show.  Local theaters often perform holiday-related works.  Here in D.C. it's not really Christmas unless you land tickets to see A Christmas Carol at Ford's Theater.
45. Take in a concert.  Local choirs, symphonies, bands and performing groups all traditionally perform during the holiday season.  I'm a particular sucker for chorus sing-alongs, acapella groups, big-band swing Christmas celebrations, and handbell concerts. 
46. Messiah sing-along.  Tradition has it that upon finishing the final note of his Hallelujah Chorus, Handel burst out of his study, tears streaming from his eyes, exclaiming: "I think I did see Heaven before me, and the great God Himself."  Join a few dozen of your fellow citizens to perform this amazing work of music live and I dare you not to experience a similar sense of the miraculous.  
47. See The Nutcracker. Another holiday tradition, and who knows? Maybe you'll witness the next Gelsey Kirkland making her 12-yr old debut as Clara Stahlbaum.
48. Attend (or watch) a holiday parade. If your community doesn't host a holiday parade, then be sure not to miss the granddaddy of them all - the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade - on television.  
49. Visit holiday destinations.  If you're lucky enough to have one in the area, take a roadtrip to a holiday destination such as Santa's Village (many states have them) or specialty Christmas super-stores.  Large amusement parks like Busch Gardens, Six Flags and Kings Dominion sometimes also open their gates for the season, highlighting holiday entertainment, decorations, and activities for the kids.
50. Visit a holiday craft festival.  Lots of local organizations (churches, schools) raise money by selling crafts during the holiday season. Or attend one of the larger, more commercial craft fairs that often rent out expo or conference centers at this time of the year.
51. Go ice skating. Strap on a pair of skates and remember that no matter how many times you fall, there's always the consolation of a steaming cup of hot chocolate at the end of the outing.  I have a particular affection for outdoor skating rinks because I like to pretend I'm gliding through the stars above.
52. Order a holiday beverage at Starbucks. It's simply not Christmas until I've had my first gingerbread latte of the season!
53. Dyour car.  Favorites around here include mounting wreaths on the front grill and/or affixing red rudolph noses between the cars' headlights.  However, I save my highest praises for those who figure out how to actually drape their cars with Christmas lights!
54. Decorate your pet. Buy your dog/cat/bunny/etc. a santa suit/hat, take their picture, and then use it as your Facebook picture for the rest of the season.  You know you want to.
55. Watch holiday movies. So many to choose from! But we have certain favorites that we watch every year, always in the company of the same traditional group of family/friends.  (See 60 Favorite Christmas Movies)
56. Watch holiday specials on television. I know that these days you can buy just about any holiday special on DVD, but there's something special and a little magical about checking each weeks' television listings to see when ACharlie Brown Christmas is due to air, and then counting down the days to it's arrival, that can't be matched in video format.  Or perhaps for your family it's How The Grinch Stole Christmas, Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, or The Little Drummer Boy.
57. Listen to holiday music. You can create your own holiday playlist on iTunes or tune into a local radio station that plays holiday music 24/7 throughout the season.
58. Enjoy old time radio holiday broadcasts. Go to the Library of Congress audio site and download the Campbell's Playhouse version of A Christmas Carol, with Lionel Barrymore as Scrooge.  Or download Lux Radio Theater's radio version of the movies It's A Wonderful Life or Miracle on 34th Street, featuring the original actors.  Or if you're in the mood for something really sentimental, download the Command Performance Concerts that were beamed to our troops oversees during WWII, featuring guest appearances by Bing Crosby, Bob Hope, and a bevy of starlets. 
59. Play. Take advantage of time with your family to bond over board games, card games, jigsaw puzzles.  Or, make like Scrooge's nephew and amuse yourself with such Victorian favorites as Blind Man's Bluff, charades or 20 Questions.
60. Tell stories. Share stories about Christmases past: long past or your past. To this day one of my most treasured holiday memories was listening to a friend's grandfather recount his memories of the Christmas truce of WWII.
61. Christmas coloring. An activity everyone in the family can enjoy, and when you're done you can cut out the pictures and hang them on walls or windows as decoration.
62. Show off your tackiest holiday sweater. Embrace this unfortunate tradition by embracing "Your Tackiest Holiday Sweater" as a theme for a holiday gathering. I particularly enjoy the ones that manage to work in kittens, gold lame, and/or flashing lights.
63. Show off your tackiest holiday jewelry. I'm always amazed at what otherwise fashionable people will wear in their ears, around their necks, or pinned to their sweaters over the holidays.
64. Wear your Santa hat in public. It's the one time of the year when you can wear a goofy hat out of doors and no one will think any less of you.  (Additional advantage: Santa hats tend to be wonderfully warm, which makes them perfect for outdoor holiday events like caroling or ice skating.)
65. Christmas on your computer. Download a Christmasy screensaver, send ecards, hunt for holiday recipes, look up craft ideas, and/or visit holiday websites to enjoy such games as "Rudolph the Redneck Reindeer."  
66. Take a walk outside on a brisk winter day (or night). Especially when things start to get crazy busy, it's important to spend quiet time alone with all the good things He created, like brisk winter air, brilliant stars, bare limbs scratching in the breeze, and the whispering hush of falling snow.
67. Write a letter to Santa. One upshot of this wonderful tradition (besides helping you figure out what your children want for Christmas) is that it creates a wonderful annual snapshot of your child's handwriting, priorities, and temperament.  Now that our kids have grown, they love chuckling over the letters they once wrote.
68. Hang with Santa. No matter where you live, Santa is sure to be making a guest appearance somewhere, so drop by and pay your respects. 
69. Track Santa.  Every Christmas Eve, NORAD (the U.S. North American Air Defense facility) uses its high-tech radar and satellite resources to provide real-time tracking of Santa's sled as it criss-crosses the globe.  Kids love this and, frankly, even most adults find the site charming! 
70. Pop holiday crackers. You can buy them at nicer department stores or make your own.  The little prizes help keep kids from growing too impatient at the sloooow passage of time Christmas Eve.
71. Lighten up.  Don't stress out!  Give yourself permission to laugh at stupid Christmas carols (The Ten Pains of Christmas is a personal favorite); make fun of over-the-top holiday decorations; invent goofy holiday traditions (ex: dangling a stuffed santa suit from your roof so that it looks like he's falling); or participate in Santarchy, a national event with celebrations in most major cities.
72. Celeberate with Family.  Don't get so caught up with the superficial stuff like shopping and cooking that you forget one of the main reasons for the season: spending time with family. Be sure to find a way to include distant relatives, whether via a phone call, photos, or a holiday visit via Skype.
73. Celebrate with friends. Make time to share holiday traditions with friends, attend parties, and entertain: it's the one time of year when it's considered perfectly appropriate to throw your house open and allow friends from all your different activities and venues to meet and mix.
74. Celebrate with your co-workers. Assemble for an office party, cookie exchange, or Secret Santa gift exchange. A good office party is one that allows folks to feel able to relax and share their warmer, more human sides with co-workers.
75. Celebrate with your neighbors. Have a decorating contest, host a progressive hors devours party, or go carolling as a group.  Christmas is a great time to reach out to new neighbors and reconnect with old friends.
76. Pose for a family portrait.  Christmas is a great excuse to coax the family into posing for an annual photo, whether your goal is to create a customized Christmas card or to discretely slide the result into the family photo album for posterity.
77. Create holiday cards.  Holiday cards are easy to make, and family/friends won't soon forget the care you took to create something customized and special just for them.
78. Send holiday cards.  I have little patience with people who complain: "I stopped sending cards out because it was too much bother/It's a waste of money/I never got any back."  This is the one time of year when it's appropriate to reach out to the people who have made your life special; the point isn't to solicit thanks or responses, but to make sure they know that they remain in your thoughts and prayers.  So suck it up and start licking envelopes: this is one lovely tradition that should never be allowed to lapse.
79. Send holiday letters. I confess I'm also a fan of the much-maligned Christmas letter.  True, I've read some pretty awful ones.  The trick, I think, is to (1) only include the news people besides yourselves will care about, (2) avoid sounding pretentious, and (3) be sure to include anecdotes and stories that remind folks why they like you.
80. Entertain.  There are so many seasonal-themed party ideas to choose from!  So there's no excuse not to get together with family, friends, "the girls", "the guys", "the kids", or your community.  (See Fun Themed Christmas Parties)
81. Make homemade gifts.  Not only do homemade gifts show that you care enough about someone to spend time on them, but they can also be a frugal option if you have limited resources and/or a big family.  For ideas, see 90+ Homemade Gift Ideas.
82. Exchange gifts.  The trope may be aged but it's true: there are few joys to match the pleasure of picking out the perfect gift for someone, then watching the smile of delight light up their face when they open it.  Feel sorry for folks who think of exchanging gifts as an obligation rather than as an opportunity.  
83. Tag it.  Gift tags make a great mini-craft project.  Create them out of fabric, cookies, ornaments, tinsel, pictures trimmed from Christmas cards left over from past years, novelty papers, fabric ... pretty much anything!
84. Dressed for success.  Wrapping can be a lot of fun if you let it.  Experiment with different papers, tags and bows.  My mom is a brilliant wrapper who likes to take her inspiration from the pattern of the paper: snowy paper sporting a festive paper ski jump; evergreen paper lapped by popcorn-cranberry "ribbon"; teddy bear paper topped by a brown felt bow.  Or consider wrapping a small gift card in an enormous box, just for the reaction you get!
85. Work It Out.  Many stores take on extra help at Christmas, which makes the holidays a great time to earn a little extra money.  If you don't like the idea of standing behind a cash register all day, consider a job stocking shelves, pushing carts, wrapping gifts, or working as a Santa's helper.
86. Give.  Donate money, toys, food or gifts.  There are a wealth of organizations that rely on holiday donations to see them though the year ... and, unfortunately, a wealth of families who rely on holiday food baskets to last them through the month. 
87. Volunteer.  If you can't afford to donate money, toys, food or gifts, donate time.  There are plenty of organizations looking for help collecting donations, wrapping/packaging donated gifts, and preparing/serving food to those in need.  (See blog entry, Community Service Project Ideas)
88. Visit shut-ins. They don't have to be your shut-ins ... most communities have a retirement center or other facility for senior citizens.  Nor do you have to make a big production out of it: just stop by to share a meal with someone, or watch television with them, or listen to their stories.  (Senior citizens always have the best stories.)  
89. Say Thank You.  Distribute cards, small gifts, or tips to people the people who you are grateful for - teachers, the paperboy, the postman, the garbageman, that checker at the grocery store who always gives candy to your kids and brightens your day.
90. Make Amends.  Take advantage of the general goodwill of the season to make amends for any wrongs you've done during the past year.  It's the perfect season to ask for forgiveness, and your last chance to wipe the slate clean before starting the new year.
91. Engage in Random Acts of Kindness.  Clip coupons and leave them next to the items they discount. Offer free babysitting services to a stressed-out friend or colleague. Randomly pick a kettle and stuff a $20 through the slot.  Turn someone's car headlights off.  Let someone squeeze into traffic ahead of you.  Who knows - maybe they'll pass it forward and your small act of kindness will end up benefiting dozens of others.
92. Count your blessings.  I've seen this done various ways: create a blessing jar, write them on pretty paper and hang them from a tree.  Or you can do this the old fashioned way by getting down on your knees and giving thanks.
93. Be Kind to Critters.  Winter is a hard time for nature's untamed creatures.  Give them a hand by setting out seed for the birds, sharing a loaf of bread with your local ducks, or spreading pinecones with peanut butter and hurling them into the woods for smaller creatures to enjoy.
94. Share Traditions.  Christmas is a wonderful time to share your family's cultural, racial and/or religious traditions with new generations.  For instance, though my husband's family is 3rd generation Czech, we remember the past through traditions such as baking Czech dishes and hanging traditional Czech ornaments on the tree.  If you haven't preserved any traditions, it's never too late to start establishing new ones.
95. Remember Christmases past.  Remembering Christmases past - the bad ones along with the good ones - is an important way to refresh family memories and solidify family traditions.  This works best if you can find a way to involve multiple generations in the reminiscing.
96. Kiss Under the Mistletoe.  'Nuff said.
97. Celebrate All 12 Days. I don't recommend regalling your true love with 11 pipers piping (noisy) or 10 lord's a-leaping (destructive).  But do recommend allowing the holiday to extend the 12 days after December 25.  Often the run-up to the holiday becomes so frantic, there's little time left to fit equally important but less time-sensitive things like volunteering, spending time with family, and giving thanks.  Give yourself the gift of time: 12 extra days to enjoy the best things the season has to offer. 
98. Shop 'Til You Drop. Take advantage of the post-holiday sales to stock up on steeply discounted wrapping paper, cards, ornaments, and gifts for next year!
99. Create a Christmas scrapbook.  Gather together all your photos, momentoes (programs from concerts/shows, sheet music, party invites, shopping lists, letters to Santa, christmas cards, family newsletter, etc.) and Christmas memories and preserve them in a scrapbook.  If you use the same scrapbook every year, it will eventually become a treasured family heirloom, a record not only of Christmases past but of your family's history.
100. Start planning your New Years Resolutions. Because it's never too soon to figure out what resolutions you'll be breaking by the second week of January.

60+ Environmental Stewardship Project Ideas for Students

As a life science teacher, I am perhaps even more freaked out than "normal people" about the various environmental dooms overtaking us even as I type this: climate change, sustainability, water availability, mass extinction. Never has it been more important for our youngest generation to understand the role they can and must play in acting as responsible stewards of Earth and Earth's resources. 

Towards this end, I require my students (10-14yrs old) to perform four acts of environmental stewardship per year (one per quarter). You'd think this would be met by groans and complaints, but the truth is that most students are full of passion and idealism - they *want* to save the world, they're just not sure how! Which is why I've pulled together this continually-updated list of projects that are student friendly but that directly map to challenges that are facing our Earth today. 

Please - if you have any suggestions of activities that I might add to the list, leave me a comment below. I'm hoping this blog post will prove genuinely useful to other teachers hoping to implement or grow the emphasis on environmental stewardship in their own classrooms. 

Planting & Growing

1. Build a bird or bat house
2. Create a vertical garden
3. Create a container garden
4. Create an indoor window garden
5. Plant a butterfly, bee, or bat garden
6. Plant a vegetable, flower, spice, or medicine garden
7. Build a small greenhouse so that you can continue to grow your own vegetables throughout the winter
8. Plant a tree or bush (just make sure you pick an indigenous species!) 
9. Install a rain barrel
10. Build/create a composting program
11. Start composting
12. Use tree/plant identification guides to positively identify 10+ plants in your yard or neighborhood. Then figure out which ones are native vs. non-native to Virginia
13. Collect  & remove invasive species
14. Implement new landscaping techniques that will reduce either erosion, fertilizer use, or invasive species in your lawn
15. Create seed balls (native seeds only!) and disperse them around your community
16. Raise ladybugs (indigenous species) and set them lose in the community to eat bugs
17. Raise chickens
18. Raise bees 
19. Learn to identify local birds, and participate in a sponsored bird count project.

Water Quality & Conservation

1. Create a rain garden
2. Find an area where soil is eroding and entering the local watershed and implement a solution (erect a barrier, plant grass, etc.)
3. Pick up litter so that it doesn't wash into the local watershed
4. Begin taking 3-minute showers
5. Calculate your family’s water footprint. (There are many water footprint calculators online that you can use.) 
6. Mark local storm drains with stickers that remind people not to use them as chemical dumps
7. Acquire a lead water test kit and check the water at local public areas (libraries, schools, etc.) to make sure it is safe
8. Monitor water quality in a local watershed (pond, stream, or lake)

Sustainability

1. Reduce the amount of packaging that you accumulate when shopping by
1. Buying products that are sold in recycleable containers
2. Buying products that come in reusable packinging
3. Using reusable shopping bags (including bags for produce) 
4. Refusing straws, lids and excess plastic packaging
2. Brainstorm and implement strategies for reducing the amount of trash that your family produces
3. Identify a common single-use plastic pollutant and take an action that will help reduce the production/use of that plastic
4. Upcycle something that you would ordinarily throw in the trash
5. Donate/freecycle reusable items instead of throwing them away
6. Educate your community about what items are not recycleable
7. Purchase previously owned goods vs. buying new
8. Learn how to reduce the amount of junk mail you receive at home, and share this information with the community using a website, a brochure, or a newsletter.
9. Come up with a plan to reduce food waste in your house (or at your school)

Putting the Breaks on Climate Change 

1. Conduct an energy audit of your school or classroom
2. Eat more vegetarian meals
3. Eat more locally grown produce
4. Calculate your family’s carbon footprint
5. Reduce your family’s car trips
6. Reduce your family’s electricity use
7. Figure out the cost of switching your house to solar (you don’t have to switch to solar! Just research it)
8. Compare and contrast normal cars vs. hybrid cars vs. electric cars and figure out which one would make the most sense for your family.
9. Switch something in your house to an alternative energy source that doesn’t create Co2 pollution
10. Encourage members of your community to use natural vs. man-made fertilizers. (The production of man-made fertilizers is a major source of the greenhouse gas NO2.)

General Stewardship & Activism

1. Join a local club or organization dedicated to making your community more environmentally friendly
1. Organizations that plant trees and/or protect natural areas
2. Organizations that promote green architecture & development
2. Volunteer to help support an environmental stewardship project at a local park or nature center
3. Attend an event that showcases local environmental initiatives
4. Create flyers, posters or infographics to hang in your school, educating students about an environmental issues that concerns them
   
5. Initiate a project that will make your school greener. For example:  
1. eliminate plastic bottles by installing water fountains that refill reusable water bottles
2. Create a program that increases the number of students who bike to school (rather than getting dropped off by cars)
3. Advocate to install solar energy at your school
4. Clean up trash around your school
5. Plant trees on school property
6. Sponsor an athletic shoe recycling drive
6. Write your Congressman and tell them how you want them to vote on environmental issues impacting your neighborhood, town, or state
7. Become a citizen scientist - many websites offer opportunities for students to support ongoing scientific research by participating in bird counts, monitoring local water quality, logging local species, or other age-appropriate activities. 
8. Participate in a protest 
9. Conduct a fundraiser to raise money for an environmental issue that you are passionate about

11 Fun Things to See and Do in Williamsburg With Kids

Back in the day I spent a fair amount of time in Williamsburg, Virginia, the recreated colonial town and HUGE tourist attraction.  (I graduated from the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg and worked at the Kings' Arms Tavern as a "serving wench" for a couple of years).  Every year I used to watch as hundreds of teachers bored thousands of students to near-distraction stopping outside each building to talk about its history and function. Here's a selection of activities and sites that I think a teen/preteens might find more intriguing:

1. Governor's Palace.  Definitely take the tour through the Governor's Palace and gape at the pretentious display of "decorative weapons," the purpose of which was to cow us poor colonials into submission. This tour also provides a good overview of Williamsburg history from founding to independence. While you're there, take a brisk walk through the formal "grounds" and check out the stables, carriages, ice house, vegetable gardens, fruit trees, and ornamental duck pond -- all very British, so that the English governors wouldn't pine for home.
2. Capital Building.  Take the tour through the Capital building and learn more about Williamsburg's role in formenting civil disobedience and independence for the colonies. (Warning: the Capital can be somewhat underwhelming to view without benefit of a tour.)
3. Bruton Parish. Walk through the graveyard at Bruton Parish Church and admire the gruesome grave art, heavy on skulls, crossed bones, angels and urns. Compete to see who can find the oldest grave, or take rubbings of some of the ancient inscriptions or artwork. (FYI, you'll have to bring your own supplies if you want to do rubbings.) This is a wonderfully creepy thing to do right around dusk ...!
4. Other Colonial Destinations.  Other locations likely to be of interest to older kids: the armory, the goal (jail), the blacksmiths' shop, the printers shop, and the general store. The map they issue you at the Visitor's Center will show you where these are located.
5. Chownings Tavern.  Stop by Chownings Tavern for lunch and play a round of The Most Royal Game of Goose, a colonial board game that the waiterstaff are pleased to provide upon request (they will explain the rules too). Or simply ask for a colonial deck of cards and play war as you sip apple cider from pewter tankards over your plank table.  (It's pronounced Choo-nings, by the way!)
6. Colonial Muster. Check the schedule and try not to miss the colonial muster on the green behind the courthouse. Authentically dressed militiamen demonstrate marching and other maneuvers, accompanied by a fife and drum band. (The schedule may list other interesting seasonal and weekly events too, some of which may be well worth checking out.)
7. College of William and Mary. Walk around the campus of William and Mary, taking in the historical buildings and especially the Wren Building, designed by Christopher Wren himself. Explore the downstairs rooms, and especially Wren Chapel, which retains a true "colonial" ambiance and is still used today for services, weddings and college debates. Your middle schoolers/high schoolers may be becoming curious about colleges - W&M is a small, academically oriented institution with tons of history and a beautiful campus. (It was founded in 1694, making it the oldest chartered college in the US; 8 U.S. presidents graduated from W&M.) So go ahead and peak into some of the academic buildings too ...!
8. Jamestown. Drive another 5mls and take in the archeological excavation at Jamestown (your Patriot's Pass Williamsburg ticket should get you admitted here too). Fascinating opportunity to see archeology in action. Or, if your kids are more into reenactment than reality, take in the "restored Jamestown fort," built back when it was believed that the actual Jamestown site had been engulfed by the James River. Here they can learn more about what it was like to live in an armed fortification, living in constant fear of attack, starvation and disease.
9. Fossil Hunting on the James River. Stop at a beach along the James River and look for fossils. The river passes through the highly fossiliferous Yorktown Formation in this area, so it is not uncommon to find fossilized seashell remains litering the river banks.
10. Wythe's Candy Store. Stop by Wyeth's Candy Store in Merchant's Square (at the base of Duke of Gloucester Street) for freshly dipped caramel apples or chocolate covered rice crispy squares on a stick ... guaranteed to rot your teeth out!
11. Ghost Tours! If you can stay a little late, sign up for an after-dark "ghost tour". See the town as the colonials would have experienced it ... by lantern-light! These tours are actually a very good way to learn more about everyday life in Williamsburg ... how folks *really* lived day to day back in colonial days, and they are especially fun & spooky at this time of year, when dead leaves skitter across the cobbled streets at every gust of wind. Just be sure to go with a private company -- don't get suckered into the so-called "ghost tour" sponsored by the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, which is watered down so much that it wouldn't even interest a toddler, much less a pre-teen.

Note that there are also a bunch of big theme parks in the Williamsburg area (Busch Gardens, Water Adventure World, Great Wolf Lodge) - not to mention tons of discount shopping - but have tried to confine my list to activities that are more in the spirit of a "colonial" family experience.

20+ Ways to Amuse Yourself at the Public Library

I personally can't imagine ever running out of things to do at the library, but in honor of library week (2nd week in April), here's a tongue-in-cheek list of non-traditional ways to amuse yourself at the public library.

1. Reposition books so that their names form sentences. (Ex., insert a copy of Forest in between two copies of Run.)
2. Wait until no one is watching. Turn all the nonfiction books about ghosts upside-down
3. Spray perfume between the pages of a romance book
4. Leave ominous notes pressed between the pages of books about murder or poison. (Ex., "Things to research: how much arsenic in rat poison? will coffee cover taste? what is fatal dose?")
5. Pair wine books with cheese books
6. Find out if anyone with your name has written a book. Volunteer to sign copies.
7. Turn all the mysteries backwards, so their titles can't be seen.
8. Juxtaposition suggestive titles and abandon them at carols for the librarians to find (Ex., Estate Law and Infamous Poisoning Trials; Teach Yourself to Fly and Managing Your Alcoholism; Paint Like the Masters and Famous Forgeries)
9. Tear out the final chapter of the mystery books
10. Replace all the books on the "We Recommend" shelf with your own recommendations
11. Find the microfiche files for old newspapers and look up what was happening in the world exactly 100 years ago
12. Find a college SAT prep book and take a practice test to see what you'd get now
13. Browse the foreign language book section and teach yourself how to say something useless in various different languages. (Ex., "The father of my brother likes yams.")
14. Interlace desert cookbooks among the weight loss books
15. Ask someone to watch your computer for a minute while you go to the bathroom. See how long it takes before they start looking pissed off
16. Find a librarian and ask them if they can help you find "that book that was so popular a few years ago ... you think it had a blue cover ..."
17. Remove all the books from the "New Fiction" section and replace them with tragically dated volumes from the '60s or '70s.
18. Rearrange books on a shelf so that the first letters of their titles form an acronym; ex., "youareanerd"
19. Invent a question so obscure, even the reference librarian can't figure it out
20. Turn a study carol into a book display that pays homage to a bemusing passion. (Ex., beekeeping, pirate romances, or the history of gloves)
21. Play library bingo. Items to include on your card:
1. Child meeting with tutor
2. Homeless person sleeping
3. Teens pretending to study but actually gossiping
4. Child with stack of picture books taller than themselves
5. Someone furtively watching porn on library computer
6. Patron arguing that they turned in that overdue book "months ago"
7. Aspiring author working on their MS at one of the tables
8. Someone trying to eat without the librarians noticing
9. Someone trying to figure out how to make the printer work
10. Senior citizen reading something in large print

150+ Themes for Adult Parties

Ever wonder why kids get all the good parties?  Parties with costumes and games and creative foods and decorations?  Why do all adult parties seem to be variations on the same two themes: either "beer & chips" or "appetizers & conversation"?  Not that these are bad parties, but they sure do get repetitive over time.

Hubby and I are lucky enough to possess an eclectic group of friends who enjoy each other's company and, moreover, are more than willing to try new things.  One thing we especially enjoy is taking turns inventing creative parties and gatherings.  Yes, these parties often require a little more work then just throwing out nachos & beer and inviting everyone over to watch the "big game."  But the extra work is worth the reward - so much laughter, so many new experiences, so many great memories!

Where do we come up with most of our ideas?  Answer: NOT the internet!  Have you ever tried to use the internet to brainstorm themes for adult parties?  Frustrating!  Online lists typically possess one or more of the following faults:

• Suggested themes are too childish for adults (seriously, adults are going to have a Dora the Explorer party?)
• Composed by party supply companies, their suggested themes include only those that the company can actually supply
• Suggested themes are too shallow - for instance, a "Black & White Party" makes decorating easy, but what are guests actually supposed to do once they get there?

Have therefore decided to compose & post my own list, cobbled together from various online sources, personal experience, and a little bit of imagination.  The list is pretty diverse, but that's deliberate: all groups of adult friends have their own dynamics, so party ideas that seem lame or "out there" to you may be just right for someone else.  Plus, a diverse list may push you towards considering ideas you never would have considered otherwise. 

Go ahead - take a chance!  Throw a themed party and see how much fun you've been missing!

Traditional party themes.  Because some traditional themes never get old, and there's an element of "safety" in starting off with a party theme that's withstood the test of time.

1. Hawaiian party.
1. Hawaiian luau
2. Tacky tiki party.  
2. Toga party.  
3. Redneck/white trash party 
4. Pirate party.  OPTION: Coordinating your event with Talk Like a Pirate Day (19 Sep)?
5. Dude ranch/Western party.  OPTION: Pair with a BBQ cookoff, chili cookoff, or backyard BBQ (see below).
6. Dog/cat party ("plus ones" must be of the furry variety)

Holiday-themed parties

1. Valentines Day party (14 Feb).  Consider pairing with an all-chocolate buffet!
1. "Naughty" Valentines Day party.  
2. Nice Valentines Day party.  
3. Anti-Valentines Day party.  
2. Groundhog day/spring party
3. April Fools Day party (1 Apr)
4. Mardi Gras party
5. Easter party/easter egg hunt
6. Earth Day party (22 Apr)
7. May Day party
8. Mothers Day party
9. Fathers Day party
10. Juneteenth
11. Patriotic party (Independence Day, Flag Day, Veterans Day, Memorial Day
12. Christmas in July party
13. Halloween party
1. Pumpkin carving party
2. Zombie party
3. Horror-able fil festival
4. Day of the Dead party
14. Christmas party.  So many versions of this classic, they deserve their own blog post
1. Children's craft party
2. Adult craft party
3. Holiday movie party
4. Holiday pot luck party
5. Holiday baking party
6. Cookie exchange party
7. Ornament exchange party
8. Gingerbread house decorating party
9. Happy Birthday to Jesus party
10. Giving party
11. Dickens Christmas party
12. Retro Christmas party
13. Caroling party
15. New Years Eve party
1. Come as your favorite decade party
2. Through the Decades party.  Celebrate a different decade each hour.
16. National __________ Day party.  Congress has given just about every special interest its own day.  Peruse a calendar, pick out a day that catches your fancy, and host an appropriate celebration. 

Around the World parties

1. Mexico
1. Mexican fiesta
2. Cinco de Mio party
2. Great Britain
1. St. Patrick’s Day Party
2. Burns Night party/banquet (Jan 25)
3. Guy Fawkes Night party
4. Scottish games/kilt party
5. The Queen’s Birthday (21 Apr)
3. Bastille Day party
4. Oktoberfest
5. Italian dinner party
6. Down Under Australian party/Australia Day Party (Jan 26)
7. Chinese New Year party
8. Jamaican party

Masquerade parties

1. Carnival/Mardi gras party
2. Beaux Arts/black & white ball
3. Halloween party
4. Come as your favorite literary character
5. Come as your favorite artwork party
6. Come as your favorite scientist party
7. Hippies vs. hipsters
8. Drag queen ball

Elegant parties/celebrations/balls

1. Casino night
2. Formal tea party
3. Prom redux
4. Elegant lawn party/gay 90s party
5. Breakfast at Tiffany's party
6. Formal dinner party
7. Formal ball (you pick the era)

Drinks parties

1. Mad Man party
2. Wine tasting party
3. Wine pairing party
4. Whisky tasting party. Cigars optional.
5. Mimosa buffet.

Food parties/banquets

1. Tapas party
2. Progressive dinner
3. Pot luck dinner
4. Beer & bacon
5. English pub party
6. Wine & cheese
7. Desserts party
8. Ice cream social
9. Mad Hatter tea party
10. Clambake
11. Dim sum party
12. Midnight buffet
13. Cooking party
14. BBQ cookoff
15. Chili cookoff
16. Blackout dinner.  Everyone eats in a room with no lights.  Besides being funny, it's supposed to heighten your ability to appreciate the food.
17. Make your own pizza party
18. Pancake breakfast party
19. Fall harvest buffet. 
20. Spud bar party
21. Fondue party

Movie/television-themed party

1. Hollywood party
2. Downton Abbey party
3. Binge-watch party
4. Awards ceremony party

In the news party

1. Political parties
1. Election night party
2. Political scandal party
2. Stormy Weather party.  Throw a party during a storm - just make sure you've got a backup plan if the power goes out!
3. National Spelling Bee party
4. Back to School party. Celebrate that empty house

Let's Put On a Show! party

1. Broadway Musical party. Everyone come prepared to perform a number from a musical.
2. Stand-up comedy/Saturday Night Live party. Everyone come prepared with a standup act; or, once everyone arrives, assign them skits/commercials to prepare; or, write ideas on slips of paper and challenge your guests to an improvathon
3. Burlesque party. Guests come prepared to perform a burlesque act – ventriloquism, comedy, animal act … perhaps a naughty dance or two?
4. Karaoke party.  Come prepared to sing.
5. Murder mystery party. Buy a prepared murder mystery party kit or create your own.
6. Rock 'n' Roll fantasy camp party.  Everyone come prepared to jam.
7. 1001 Nights party.  Typical sleepover, except everyone has to come prepared with amazing stories to share.

Crafts parties

1. "Create a ________" party.  Pick a single craft (ex: knitting, crochet, screenprinting, tie-dye, etc.) and stock up on supplies.  Guests get to create their own
2. "Create a _________-themed craft."  Pick a holiday/theme (ex: Christmas, summer) and invite guests over to create items related to the theme.  You provide ideas, supplies, food; they supply the creativity
3. "Learn to __________."  Either invite an expert or model one of your areas of expertise (ex: cake decorating, flower arranging, jewelry making). Guests learn and get to try their hand at the activity.
4. Sewing/quilting bee

Games parties

1. Old fashioned parlor games party
2. Game night
1. BINGO party
2. Monopoly party
3. Trivial pursuit night
4. Scrabble/puzzle night
5. Bridge/poker party
6. Charades/tableaus party
3. Game show night
1. Minute to win it party
2. Survivor party

History/Retro parties

1. Ides of March/Roman party (Mar 15)
2. Medieval party/banquet
3. Renaissance party/banquet
4. Colonial party
5. 20s party 
1. Great Gatsby party
2. Speakeasy/Jazz party
6. 40s/50s party
1. Mad Men party
2. Ballroom dancing party
3. WWII Dance hall party
7. 60s party
1. Hippy vs. hipsters party
2. 60s sock hop/diner party
8. 70s Disco/Studio 54 party
9. 80s party
10. College fraternity party.

Novel/book parties

1. Jane Austen party
2. Harry Potter party
3. Alice in Wonderland party/Mad Hatter tea party
4. Come as your favorite literary character masquerade party
5. Murder mystery party
6. Sherlock Holmes party (Jan 6)
7. Twelfth Night party (Jan 6)
8. Dickens Day party (Feb 7)
9. Oscar Wilde Day party (Oct 16)
10. Release Party.  A party to help the hours before the release of your favorite book; afterwards, everyone piles into cars to head for the nearest bookstore

Science parties

1. Pi day party (14 Mar).  
2. Eclipse/asteroid shower viewing party
3. Come as your favorite scientist party
4. Chemistry/Breaking Bad party.   

Nerd parties

1. Steampunk party
2. Dungeons & Dragons/fantasy cosplay party
3. Superhero cosplay party
4. Video game cosplay party
5. LOTR cosplay party
6. Star Trek/Star Wars party
7. Freaks & Geeks party

Outdoors parties

1. Old fashioned picnic
2. Campfire party
3. Lake party
4. Regatta/boat party
5. Pool party.  Host this at your neighborhood pool, your own backyard pool, or buy a few cheap kiddie pools from the local dimestore
6. Beach party
1. Frankie & Annette Beach Party bash
1. Jimmy Buffet “Cheeseburger in Paradise” party
1. Beach Olympics/games
1. Beach banquet
7. Dancing under the stars party
8. Gentile Southern BBQ picnic
9. Glamping/safari party
10. Outdoor Olympics party
11. Summer camp party
12. Fishing camp party
13. Scavenger hunt/geocache party
14. Snow party.  Wait for a snowy day, then invite guests over for snowman-making contests, snowball fights, adn snow ice cream sundaes.

Novelty destination parties

1. Bowling party
2. Barn party/hoe-down
3. Vineyard party
4. Skating rink party (ice or roller)
5. Nighttime pool/hot tub party
6. Zoo party
7. Movie theater party
8. Pool hall party
9. Pub Crawl party
10. Restaurant Crawl party
11. Bar crawl party
12. Ropes course party

Sports parties

1. "Big Event" party.  Gather around the television to celebrate that "big game"
2. Tailgate party
3. Olympics party
4. Kentucky Derby party
5. America's Cup yacht race
6. polo party
7. rugby party
8. Baseball fantasy camp party

“Children’s” parties.  Parties too good to be reserved just for children

1. Slumber party
2. Carnival party
3. Dr. Seuss party (Suess day = Mar 2)
4. Come as your favorite children’s book character party

Just for adults parties

1. ABC (Anything But Clothes) party.
2. Twisted Disney party
3. Drag party.
4. Seven Deadly Sins party
5. Pajama party
6. 50 Shades of Grey party.  

Other novelty parties

1. Come as you are party.  People have to come dressed the way they were dressed when they received your invitation. Consider slipping them under people's doors so they find them in the morning, while still wearing their jammies.
2. Come as you were party.  Dress like you dressed in high school; or, dress like your high school clique
3. Round the world party

A Thousand Words - 31 Busy Days Hath December

Proof that women setting insane standards for themselves during the holiday seasons isn't a new thing, but has a long, established provenance.

101+ Things to Do In Reston

Wrote the following article in celebration of a wonderful community celebrating its 50th anniversary this year.  If you're not a Reston resident you'll want to give this a miss; if you live here, however, I think you'll agree there are few places as unique as our community.  How many other small towns can offer 101 different activities & entertainments?* 

(*That's not even counting activities/classes offered by Reston merchants, enough to populate a second 101 Great Things list!)

 

EVENTS

1. Reston Festival @ Reston Town Center. I realize we didn’t have a festival in 2013, but I’m keeping my fingers crossed that this event returns soon because it’s always been one of my favorite Reston traditions – a lovely opportunity to browse local businesses, support local craftsmen and artisans, showcase local entertainers, take in a few carnival rides, and gorge on local foods. Mind you, that’s just the stuff they list in the brochure: for me, the real highlights of the festival include chatting with neighbors, reminiscing about festivals past (remember when festivals were hosted at Lake Anne?), and admiring the vast array of dogs on display.
2. Taste of Reston @ Reston Town Center. You don’t have to be a foodie to look forward to this event – you just have to have taste buds, a pocket full of tasting tickets, and a beautiful afternoon! It takes literally hours for my husband and I to taste our way up and then down the length of Market Street, patronizing the 25+ food tents lining both sides of the road. I love the cooking demonstrations, the entertainment, the ambiance, but most of all the opportunity to sample foods representing every imaginable country, food group and price range – from Peruvian grilled chicken and gazpacho to buffalo bites, from wild boar shawarma to perogies and mac & cheese, from prosciutto-wrapped truffle fries to fried oreos. Not for nothing is Taste of Reston annually voted "Best Food Festival in Northern Virginia" by Virginia Living Magazine.
3. Great Grapes Wine Festival @ Reston Town Center. Once upon a time hubby and I used to drive all the way out to the Plains for Vintage Virginia, arguably the state’s preeminent wine festival. Then Great Grapes started sponsoring events at the Reston Town Center and we haven’t been back since! While this semi-annual wine fest isn’t as large as some, I guarantee it will take you most of the afternoon to work your way through the 100+ tastings being offered by 20+ Virginia wineries plus a score of booths selling wine-related crafts and accessories. Be sure to bring a backpack (for toting all the wine you’ll buy), a pencil & small pad (for writing down memorable vintages you intend to buy later), and a blanket (for relaxing in front of the main stage while all that wine digests). Events like this make me especially grateful for the fact that Reston’s a pedestrian community: after 100+ tastings, I appreciate the option of walking home!
4. Annual Reston Homes Tour. One thing that sets Reston apart is the unique architecture of our buildings and neighborhoods. You can argue that this is a good or bad thing (honestly, what was our fascination with concrete back in the 70s?) – but before you start formulating your opinion, take advantage of this annual opportunity to peep inside some of Reston’s most iconic homes and structures. Besides, ticket sales benefits a great cause, the Reston Museum.  
5. Northern Virginia Fine Arts Festival @ Reston Town Center. This is one of those events that makes people in D.C. wish they lived here. Produced annually by the Greater Reston Arts Center (GRACE), the show features over 100 booths offering original works of art for sale – everything from pottery to paintings, furniture to photography, silversmithing to stained glass – at surprisingly affordable prices. Plus they throw in food and entertainment! Every year I pick up a little something: given the festival is now in its 23rd year (or something like that), my walls and shelves are starting to grow crowded!
6. Oktoberfest @ Reston Town Center. This event has grown from a rather modest affair hosted by Clyde's Restaurant to a multiday street festival featuring food, entertainment, vendor booths, carnival rides, and – never fear! – a large biergarten. I love the ambiance, especially when night descends and everything turns a nostalgic sepia in the glow of the streetlights.
7. Pet Fiesta @Reston Town Center. Bring your pet and enjoy a day of fun and pampering at the annual pet fiesta. This all-day event includes silly pet contests, pet fashion shows, tons of vendors, and rescue groups offering to introduce you to the next member of your family.
8. Washington West Film Festival @ Bowtie Cinema, Reston Towne Center. This is a competition for independent filmmakers, some local, others from around the nation. Categories include dramatic films, short films and documentaries. Usually held in October, the event attracts dozens of filmmakers and celebrities – yes, actual celebrities! Who knew we had our own mini-Sundance, right here in Reston?
9. Reston Multicultural Festival @ Lake Anne Plaza. Once a year Reston pauses to celebrate our diversity at an event we call the Reston Multicultural Festival. Citizens representing over 100 nationalities live side by side in our community, a fact that becomes abundantly clear when you attend this one day celebration that incorporates food, arts/crafts, live performances and storytelling/lectures. I especially love that everyone’s encouraged to attend in their native dress: for one day a year, I feel like I’m living at the United Nations!
10. Ukelele Festival @Lake Anne Plaza. My parents never miss this joyful celebration of the guitar’s neglected but worthy cousin! The event features performances by internationally and local renown ukulele musicians, music demonstrations, public jam sessions, vendors, and other family friendly activities. Mock if you will, but only if you can tell me with a straight face that Israel Kamakawiwo'ole’s version of Somewhere Over the Rainbow doesn’t make you smile like an idiot. Because you know it does.
11. Jazz & Blues Festival @Reston Town Center. This event, typically held in August, showcase a variety of talented regional and national jazz & blues performers. Bring a comfortable chair and plan on spending the day!
12. BBQ Brawl @ Lake Anne Plaza. New this year, I certainly hope BBQ Brawl becomes a annual event! Sponsored by Northern Virginia Magazine, the event pits local BBQ legends against each other, against a background of live entertainment, vendor booths, and family fun. Stpp already - you had me at BBQ!
13. Summer Film Festival @Lake Anne Plaza. Is it the stars? The crickets? The drive-in ambiance? I’m not sure why watching movies out of doors on a sultry summer night feels so magical, but it does. That’s why my husband and I look forward to Lake Anne’s outdoor film festival every summer (May through September or so). Grab a group of friends or that special someone, pack a picnic, and enjoy!
14. Open House at the U.S. Geological Survey. Reston is fortunate to house the headquarters of the U.S. Geological Survey. Why fortunate? Well, besides the jobs and the fact that we can be pretty sure of plenty of advanced warning should an earthquake threaten, USGS hosts an "open house" event every three years (economy permitting) that is not to be missed. The event includes activities designed to appeal to all ages, everything from panning for gold to donning the protective suits worn by volcanologists in the field. Fun, fun, fun!
15.  Annual Mini-Makers Faire.  This is a relatively new event, inspired by the recent national "maker faire" craze.  Our version is hosted at South Lakes HS and Hughes MS and features makers of all ages, representing fields such as arts, crafts, engineering, and science, sharing with adults and children the things they've made.  Most of the exhibitors offer interactive activities.  Seriously, if you haven't ever been to a maker faire, you owe it to yourself to check this one out - it's like nothing else!
16. Open House @ Reston Fire Station. This one is primarily marketed for the kids, but I know more than a few adults (including several girlfriends of mine with a bit of a "thing" for firefighters) that look forward to this annual opportunity to tour our local fire station, climb all over the equipment, and talk to firefighters about their experiences.
17. Used book sales @ Reston Library. As if the Reston Library wasn’t awesome enough, twice a year the Friends of the Reston Library throw the mother of all used book sales. I’m something of a connoisseur of used book sales and can authoritatively state that the Reston Library used book sale can’t be beaten for quality of inventory (a tribute to the fact that Reston residents are a literate bunch who consume massive quantities of high quality literature & nonfiction), quantity of inventory (a tribute to the fact that Reston residents are also ridiculously generous – they donate literally 100s of thousands of books each year!), or price (except for a few special items, the most you’ll pay is $2). Not for nothing, the Friends also host a variety of "mini" sales through the year: a children’s book sale, a romance book sale, a holiday book/puzzle sale.
18. Parades. Nothing celebrates "community" like a parade! For our family, spring officially begins the day of the Reston Little League parade (because I can’t seem to get enough of cute kids in matching uniforms), autumn isn’t official until the South Lakes H.S. homecoming parade (tissue paper floats, convertibles filled with waving homecoming queens, and a marching band!), and Christmas season doesn’t begin until the holiday parade at Reston Town Center, a spectacle that truly has it all, from ballerinas to balloons and the triumphant arrival Mr. and Mrs. Claus in a beautiful horse-drawn sled.
19. Harvest festivals at local elementary schools. As far as I know, every elementary school in Reston sponsors some sort of annual fair, festival or carnival. It’s what they have in common that makes them so great: cakewalks and pet shows, game booths and crafts, silent auctions and used book sales. Often the silent auctions alone make a visit worthwhile – they’re a great place to pick up gifts for yourself and others – but go anyway because these events are the biggest fundraisers of the year for the PTAs that sponsor them.  

PLACES

1. Reston Museum. You know you’ve made it when you live in a community that has its own museum! The perfect anecdote to complacency, a few hours in the Reston Museum will remind you of just how extraordinary Reston is, and what a remarkably eventful history we’ve had. (Nudist colonies, Ebola, Carnegie Hall, Virginia Gentleman whiskey, and Saudi Arabian sheiks? Reston’s had a busy 50 years!)
2. Lake Fairfax. The only county park located in Reston, Lake Fairfax Park offers not just fishing and camping (discussed separately) but also a variety of camps, nature activities, playgrounds, trails, individual picnic tables, larger covered picnic facilities, and boat rentals. Plus they have a carousel and a train ride for the little ones! When our babies were still babies we used to spend whole days at Lake Fairfax; we never had to worry about running out of things to do.
3.  The Water Mine. With water jets and wading pools for the little ones, water slides for the teens, and a "lazy river" feature for us older folk, the Water Mine is the perfect destination for the whole family.
4. The Reston Zoo. The Reston Zoo offers wagon rides, feeding stations, and a pet-a-pet enclosure. Generations of Reston children have had their first introduction to exotic wildlife here, but what I never get tired of is the novelty of driving by fields full of zebras, antelope, bison, ostrich, and camels every time I go to the grocery store!
5. Reston Town Center. This little bastion of urban in the middle of our suburban community offers cool architecture, an art gallery, eclectic shopping opportunities, dozens of restaurants, outdoor festivals/performances, classes, and awesome people-watching. I especially enjoy settling down with a good book at one of the tables by the fountain, punctuated by between-chapter pauses to enjoy the combined noise of wind rustling through the limbs overhead, the tumbling water, and the delighted shrieks of children daring each other to get wet.
6. Lake Anne Plaza. No matter the season or the time of day (morning = coffee at the coffee shop; afternoon = enjoying the breeze off the lake; dinner = pitchers of sangria at a lakeside table), Lake Anne is a great destination in and of itself, the "heart of Reston," if you will. While you’re there, be sure to read the commemorative bricks embedded in the plaza, get your picture taken with the bronze statue of Robert Simon (Reston’s founder), enjoy the lovely landscaping along the boardwalk, climb the tower at the end of the boardwalk for a great view – and don’t neglect the swing at the end of the canal, one of my favorite "secret places" in Reston.
7. Reston Metro Station. Breaking news: hop a train at Reston’s new Silver Line station and find yourself connected to at least 101+ additional entertainment options in Virginia, D.C. and beyond! Can’t tell you how much I’m looking forward to the convenience of strolling to the station on one of Reston’s many bike trails and hopping a train bound for the Smithsonian, Nationals Stadium, or the National Book Festival on the Mall.
8. Lake Anne Used Book Store. A Reston institution, the Reston used book store is packed with a constantly refreshed supply of gently used titles and owners/customers more than happy to "talk books" at the drop of a hat. I swear all that lovely old book smell makes me woozy! By the way, they also host scheduled events there: book talks, author meet-and-greets, and read-alouds.
9. Reston Library. Speaking of books, one of my top 10 Reston destinations is the Reston Library. Besides offering access to an enormous collection of texts, their tables are a quiet place to get work done, their collection of audiobooks makes long car trips speed by, their free online databases are a terrific source for research, and they sponsor a variety of programs for adults, teens and children including book discussion groups, author appearances, ESL classes … even exercise and ballet classes for the little ones!

PERFORMANCES

1. Reston Chorale. How cool is it that we have our own chorale? Almost as cool as attending one of their public performances. Their repertoire incorporates everything from classical to modern works. (Disclosure: auditioning to become a member of Reston Chorale occupies a top spot on my own personal bucket list!)
2. Reston Community Orchestra. Our so called "community" orchestra features over 50 musicians, rivaling the size of many city orchestras. The RCO supports many local community events (ex: Multicultural Festival) as well as staging a number of free concerts throughout the year. Like the chorale, their repertoire ranges from classical to modern works; they’ve even commissioned and performed original works.  
3. Reston Community Players. I never attend one of RCP’s performances without walking away amazed at the quality of the performances and production values of this locally-grown theater company. I realize we’re fortunate enough to live a short drive from some of the best theaters in the country – Kennedy Center, the Shakespeare Theater Company, etc. – but thanks to RCP, Restonians needn’t travel into the city to catch a great show.
4. Performances @ Reston Community Center CentreStage. Every year RCC does an amazing job of luring nationally-renowned performers to our local stage, representing every imaginable category of performance art: dance, concerts, vocalists, theater, humor/improv, performance art, storytelling, children’s shows … and even a few events that defy categorization, but that never seem to have any trouble selling out.
5. Summer Concert Series @ Reston Town Center. Every summer the folks who run Reston Town Center put together a wonderful Saturday Night concert series featuring a broad range of artists and genres: from classical to Caribbean, from cool Celtic to Latin heat, from big band to pop. Bring your own blanket/chairs or do what hubby & I do – settle down at one of those outside tables at Clydes with family/friends and enjoy the tunes while working your way through a delicious meal.
6. Take a Break concerts at Lake Anne. Meanwhile, Lake Anne plays host to their own summer concert series, liberally sprinkled with performances by local performers. Relaxing beneath the stars on a warm summer night as the cool wind off the lake combines with the sounds of smooth jazz, I guarantee you’ll feel the stress literally ooze out of you!
7. School plays, musicals, and concerts. It’s worth mentioning that our local elementary schools, middle school, and high school stage theater, vocal, and instrumental performances throughout the year. South Lakes H.S. in particular regularly features the talents of extraordinarily gifted actors and musicians. I can only conclude that folks who dismiss these productions as "amateur" clearly haven’t bothered to attend any of them!
8. Singstrong. Speaking of South Lakes H.S., you may or may not know that the school annually plays host to Singstrong, an event which gathers professional a cappella performance groups from all over the nation for a weekend of workshops, competition, and performance. A truly unique event!

SPORTS & RECREATION

1. 55 miles of bike paths. Reston Association chooses call them bike paths, but we all know what they really are: "therapy" paths and "commune with nature" paths and "exercise" paths and "time to walk the dog" paths and "my kids need to run off all this extra energy!" paths and "look, a squirrel!" paths and "finally, some quality time with my loved one" paths. 55 miles of them. That’s a lot of therapy.
2. W&OD trail. Let’s just acknowledge how lucky we are that this former railroad right-of-way runs right through the heart of Reston. Our community paths are great, but thanks to W&OD we’re just a bike ride away from D.C. to the East and wine country to the west.
3. Horse riding & bridle paths. Ever wonder about those unpaved paths meandering through the woods behind your house? Those are bridle paths, established back in the day when the Pony Barn was an actual pony barn rather than an oddly-named picnic facility and playground. 45 years ago, back when I was in elementary school, riding horses to your friends’ houses was the thing to do.Since then many of the paths have been subsumed by woods, but not all of them. If you have access to a horse, by all means slip your feet in the stirrups and enjoy a ride; alternatively, feel free to stroll the paths on foot – just be careful where you step!
4. Hanging out at the pool. Of course you may choose to patronize the pool within walking distance of your house (because everyone has at least one pool within walking distance of their house – that’s one of the things that makes Reston awesome), but why limit yourself? With 15 total pools to choose from, each offering a customized selection of watery diversions (fountains, jets, monster water slides, hot tubs, diving boards, etc.), why not make a vow to visit them all?
5. Tennis, anyone? For every swimming pool in Reston, there are at least 2 tennis courts. And that’s not even mentioning the extensive infrastructure that supports the sport here in Reston, to include lessons by professionally ranked instructors, camps, and tournaments.
6. Skatequest. Though I look a little like Scarecrow from the Wizard of Oz every time I don ice skates, that doesn’t prevent me from appreciating the fact that we have our very own ice rink here in Reston. In addition to open skate nights, Skatequest offers lessons, hosts local ice hockey teams, and knows how to throw a good children’s birthday party.
7. Ice skating @ Reston Town Center. When I do don skates, I usually do it at the ice skating rink that the Reston Town Center sets up during the winter months … if only because the typically large population of 2-3 year olds repeatedly falling onto their well-padded bottoms (often to their great delight) makes me feel slightly less self-conscious about my own ineptitude. Plus, afterwards you can curl up around a cup of hot chocolate from Starbucks and watch the child phenoms on center ice do spins and jumps.
8. Hang 10! If skateboarding is your thing, you’ll want to check out the brand new skate park at Lake Fairfax. The facility offers a variety of ramps and obstacles, ideal for perfecting your tricks. FYI, the skate park also welcomes BMX bike riders, and has lights for practicing at night, which is completely cool.
9. It’s fun to play at the YMCA! What an asset YMCA has been to our community! In addition to offering first-class fitness facilities, the Y also offers tons of programming for teens and sponsors great summer programs and community fitness events. Personally, I enjoy working out at the Y because you find a nice cross-section of "real folk" there – so much less threatening than working out next to those intimidating, zero-body-fat, "after"-photo deities that inhabit private gyms.
10. Little League games. Why travel to D.C. to see the Washington Nationals play when you can get your baseball on here in Reston? Our community hosts half a dozen lovely ballfields, including a beautiful, brand new lighted ball field at Brown’s Chapel for night games. (I don’t know why, but there’s something magical about baseball at night, isn’t there?)
11. High school football. Starting in August or so you can catch home football games at South Lakes H.S. Doesn’t matter if you have a child at the school or whether you’re an alumnus – high school football games are a place for everyone in the community to come together to enjoy a little cheering, a little concession-stand food, a little football, and a lot of nostalgia.
12. Pickup Games. As if all those tennis courts, pools, and tot lots weren’t enough, Reston also maintains a score or so of volleyball pits, basketball courts, and parks with smooth green fields perfect for pickup games with friends and neighbors.
13. Participate in a marathon/triathlon – or cheer on everyone else! Reston hosts over a dozen marathons/triathlons every year, to include the Reston Triathlon, the Reston Sprint Triathlon, theYMCA youth marathon, the Be Amyzing Triathlon, and the Runners Marathon. I’m no runner myself, but love lining the route and cheering the participants on.
14. Get Your Golf On. Reston hosts not one but two complete 18-hole golf courses (at least for now), one public and one private. Having lived alongside one of them for several years, I can testify to the fact that they are immaculately maintained.
15. Boating on Lake Audubon/Lake Thoreau/Lake Anne. Our whole family celebrated the day one of our members bought a house along Lake Thoreau, because now our extended clan gets to enjoy all the pleasures of lake living. Sometimes we gather for special occasions (our family’s annual Mother’s Day Mimosa Cruise is a highlight of the year); sometimes we’re looking for a little cool relief on a hot summer afternoon (towing strings of delighted children on floaties in our wake); sometimes we covet the singular peace and quiet of evening cruises beneath the moon, with only the hum of cicadas and the occasional splashing of passing ducks for company. Fortunately, you don’t actually have to live by a lake to enjoy these boons, as there are public boat launches at both Lake Audubon and Thoreau; just BYOB (bring your own boat) and chillax!
16. Paddleboat Your Way Around Lake Anne. Pick a beautiful afternoon, rent a paddleboat at the Lake Anne coffee house, and spend a few hours leisurely paddling your way across the Lake, taking time to gawk at the unique architecture of the houses lining the banks, the fountain, and the gorgeous Van Gogh bridge.
17. Fishing. All our lakes are stocked with fish, but I’m reliably informed the best fishing is at Lake Fairfax, which they regularly stock with largemouth bass. There are public docks at Lake Thoreau and Lake Audubon as well. You know you’re a long-time Reston resident if you still remember bluegill fishing competitions at Lake Anne!
18. Camp overnight at Lake Fairfax. Another activity we used to look forward to when our children were little was camping at Lake Fairfax. "Real" woods, but also close enough to home that we could drive back if things got scary for the little ones. Pair a day at the Water Mine with an evening of camping for a whole weekend o’ fun!
19. Got Tot Lot? If you live in Reston you’re never more than a short walk away from a tot lot, those ubiquitous mini-playgrounds embedded in neighborhoods and along bike paths. I think all of them have swings and hanging bars; the one nearest us also has a basketball court. As a kid I loved the swingsets – how many years did I invest in my futile quest to swing so high that I finally went right over the top? As a teen, they were a place to meet up with friends and hang out on hot summer nights. As a young parent, they made for a perfect outing: just long enough a walk that the kids were genuinely tired when we returned. And now that I’m aging? Oddly, I find myself wondering if, now that I’ve got some weight on me, maybe I really could swing right over the top if I really tried ….

NATURE

1. Get Gardening. One thing Reston doesn’t have is a lot of flat, rich, well-aerated soil, which (in combination with a large and ravenous population of deer and squirrels) makes yard gardening problematic. One option is to rent space at one of four Reston Community Gardens which, combined, account for some 270 acres of land. (They’re built on mandatory gas pipe easements; isn’t that a lovely example of dual use?) These facilities are beautifully and rigorously overseen to ensure that plots are well-maintained and predators (dastardly groundhogs!) dispatched; you can even arrange for a "garden babysitter" to tend your plot while you’re out of town. Maybe it’s the Indiana in me, but vegetables you’ve grown yourself from seed really do taste better.
2. Explore the Reston Garden Club Nature Path. The Reston Garden Club does good works all over Reston, but I’m especially fond of the nature trail they maintain off of Soapstone Drive between Glade Dr. and Lawyers Rd. The trees/bushes are all identified by means of their botanically correct names and there are benches offering lovely, soothing vistas to enjoy. When I was younger I signed up for a tour of the path led by one of the Garden Club docents, which increased my store of local botanical knowledge by multiples.
3. Leave it to Beavers. Though the beaver team that created the habitat at the intersection of Glade Dr. and Twin Branches Rd. has since been "relocated", the fruits of their labor remain and provide a wonderful living laboratory for studying how nature adjusts to sudden, drastic change. After years of inundation, the habitat is now in the "rebounding" phase, the swamp gradually draining via self-carved channels, trees re-rooting on islands of sediment. Fascinating to watch!
4. Hang out at the Reston Nature House. I LOVE the Reston Nature House! I love the arts & crafts-inspired design; I love the discovery/museum area inside; I love all the naturalists who work there; I love the activity room, which my family has rented for any number of events; most of all, I love the paths that twist through the Walker Nature Center past dozens of distinct little ecosystems, each crowded with birds and squirrels, fox, deer, owls, turtles, raccoons, skunks, spiders, potato bugs and earthworms. The perfect place to wander on a brilliant spring day … or a sticky summer day … or a brisk fall day … or a grey, snowy day ….
5. Go creeking. I’m not entirely sure "creeking" (wading through creek waters) is a real thing, but I spent countless hours engaged in this activity as a child growing up in Reston, and my own children intuitively picked up where I left off. Not only is creeking a great way to cool off on a hot day, but it’s also a wonderful opportunity to get close and personal with freshwater ecosystems: a chance to explore how waterbugs walk on water, observe whether guppies prefer shade or sun, and discover which rocks are most likely to conceal crayfish.
6. Reston Rocks. Alas, Reston doesn’t have much in the way to offer a geologist (besides the U.S. Geological Survey, that is) – some schist, some phyllite, a whole lot of quartz. But where there is schist and phyllite there’s also clay, which you’ll find in abundance exposed along the banks of the many creeks that snake through the area. While I’m obviously not endorsing adding to our area’s erosion woes, I will say admit to having regaled my mom with more than one Mother’s Day pinch pot over the years, crafted with love out of native Reston clay.
7. Geocaching. This is probably the right place to mention that geocachers have scattered Reston with all sorts of little surprises. All you need is access to the web, a handheld GPS device, a nice afternoon, and a pen.
8. Collect blackberries. There used to be hundreds of blackberry bushes in Reston! As a child we’d collect buckets of the fruit and present them triumphantly to our mothers, demanding that they be transformed into pies. These days it’s harder to find blackberry bushes than it used to be, but still possible – the trick is to pick them before the squirrels and deer get them!
9. Hunting for tadpoles. Because you’re never too old to be fascinated by how tadpoles gradually transform into frogs, and Reston is blessed with dozens of swampy areas that annually fill with frog eggs. While I’m on the topic of frogs, I’ll mention another of my favorite things to do in Reston: listening for the first sound of peeper frogs in mid-March or so. Reliably arriving a week or two before the pear and cherry trees begin flowering, they are the first reliable heralds of spring.
10. Nature programs and walks. The naturalists at Walker Nature Center sponsor nature events for all ages, from "Amphibian Idol" for the little ones to identifying bird calls for adults. But you don’t need a naturalist to enjoy the nature in Reston - just pull on a pair of tennis shoes and head out your back door.
11.  Go on a Photo Safari. Hard to believe that 50yrs ago large portions of Reston were cleared down to mud to make way for houses and roads. First the trees returned; now, 50 years later, our wildlife communities are finally rebounding: not only have deer and fox returned, but rumor has it there’s a wild turkey living in the woods around the U.S. Geological Survey. Making now the perfect opportunity to practice your nature photography skills.
12. Birdwatching. Speaking of rebounding nature, Reston’s aviary community has also been steadily growing. At least 182 species of birds now call Reston home, including hawks, marlins, kestrals, turkey, quail, herons, owls, woodpeckers, mockingbirds, nuthatches, goatsuckers and chickadees. The colorful names alone are enough to make me want to grab a pair of binoculars and set my alarm for 5am! (Contact the folks at Walker Nature Center for a complete list.)
13. Bat-watching & owl counting. Reston becomes a magical place at night. Trees erupt with bats that dart and dance in pursuit of mosquitoes. Owls hoot. Frogs peep. Fox begin that creepy barking/howling thing they do. Don’t let the waning sun chase you indoors – take a dusky walk around one of our lakes or just sit out on the back porch of your house and enjoy the nightly nocturnal entertainment.
14. Picnicking in the park. Reston offers a bunch of great picnic facilities. You’ll find covered picnic facilities at Hunters Woods, North Hills, the Pony Barn, Temporary Road, Lake Anne, and Lake Fairfax, as well as scattered picnic tables at various athletic facilities, parks, and tot lots. Great for family/group/team/class gatherings!
15. Campfires @ the Soapstone fire ring. Some 40 years ago, in Reston’s wild, less-regulated past, at least one family in every neighborhood had an open fire ring in their backyard, where the neighborhood would periodically gather to toast hotdogs, char marshmallows, and gossip. While RA has since clamped down on backyard pits, they’ve (partially) compensated for the deprivation by providing a wholly lovely campfire facility off of Soapstone Drive. Scarcely a weekend passes when the facility isn’t put to use by boy scout packs, girl scout troops, families or birthday parties. There’s something magical about sitting around a fire watching the flames leap and listening to the logs pop, whether it’s a balmy summer night or a brisk October afternoon.

SEASONS & HOLIDAYS

1. Eggnormous Egg Hunt @Brown’s Chapel Park. Come for the egg hunt, the carnival games, the moon bounce, the kid-focused entertainment, or just for the excuse to enjoy strolling out-of-doors after a long, long winter.
2. The Van Gogh Bridge @ Lake Anne Village Center. The bridge is lovely all year, but truly spectacular for a few weeks every spring when the surrounding cherry trees and azaleas erupt in color. Possibly the most romantic spot in Reston, judging by the number of couples who have become engaged there. (Including my husband and I!)
3. Firefly Heaven. This is the name my family and I long-ago assigned to a particular stretch of meadow accessible via the walking trail that intersects with Purple Beech Drive. Firefly sightings have become scarce in some parts of Reston, but at Firefly Heaven you can still find hundreds of the flying insects darting and through the grasses and weaving overhead through the branches of trees. I dare you not to feel 10 years old again as you gaze about you in silent, delighted awe at the annual summer spectacle. 
4.  Taste Summer. Honeysuckle is technically an invasive species here in Reston; all I can say is that it invaded a long time ago, because some of my earliest memories are of picking the buttery, trumpet-shaped flowers , biting off their tips, and letting the droplets of sweet sap melt on my tongue. If summer had a taste, honeysuckle is what it would taste like.
5. Fourth of July on Lake Audubon. Reston’s abundant trees and hills make enjoying the abundant Independence Day fireworks shows in the area a hardship. However, if you’re lucky enough to own a boat, you’ll find the best view in town is from the waters of Lake Audubon. Over the years I’ve watched the celebration grow from a few hardy souls in canoes to a day-long floating party, complete with live music, food, backyard fireworks displays (some legal, some not quite so legal!) and fellowship. Or, visit Lake Fairfax and enjoy their fireworks display.
6. Get Thee to the Pool! For those sultry summer nights when no amount of air conditioning will suffice, RA offers a variety of cool, pool-based community social events, including community cookouts, ice cream socials, and – my favorite – "dive-in movies," which you can watch from the comfort of a deck chair or from the middle of the pool, ensconced in your own comfy inflated inner tube.
7. Playing in the concrete fountain at Lake Anne. I realize that Reston offers a variety of watery diversions suitable for staving off humid summer afternoons, but the granddaddy of them all is the cement fountain that has served as the heart of Lake Anne Plaza for the past 40+ years. My mom took me there to play when I was a kid; years later, I felt the warm glow of nostalgia suffuse me as I watched my own children rediscovering the joy of running through jets of water on a hot afternoon. Speaking of rites of passage – while you’re there, don’t neglect to allow your little ones to injure themselves on the concrete Mayan pyramid that passes itself off as a children’s plaything at the plaza entrance. I realize the ‘70s were a confused decade, but really – who thought a concrete pyramid with multiple sharp edges was a great idea for kids?
8. Leaf-Peeping. Sure, all these lovely trees and woodlands can be an inconvenience, especially during hurricane season and ice storms. But a single gorgeous Reston autumn is enough to make the risk feel miniscule compared to the reward: trees ablaze with color, brown leaves being herded like sheep across roadways by the brisk autumn wind, feet crunching through drifts and piles crisp foliage as you climb out of the car after a long day at work. Heaven!
9. Halloween Trail at Walker Nature Center. Every Halloween the folks at the Walker Nature Center assemble an after-dark walk through the woods, offering gentle thrills and chills suitable for Reston’s youngest generation. What’s cool is that the attraction is staffed entirely by local residents volunteering their time so that the Nature Center can augment their annual funding and the little ones can enjoy a leisurely ramble through the dark woods interacting with a variety of wood nymphs, fairy spirits, bats and owls.
10. Christmas festivities @ Reston Town Center. Say what you will, the Reston Town Center knows how to celebrate Christmas! The festivities begin the Friday after Thanksgiving with a morning parade followed at dusk by a mass community sing-along, climaxing in the lighting of the center’s enormous Christmas tree. The festivities continue through the rest of the month with a variety of events, including horse-drawn carriage rides past the lighted storefronts at night. But what I love most is the lights – lights everywhere, strung in the trees and outlining the buildings. At a time when most indoor malls and merchant associations have reduced Christmas decorating to a few wreaths and banners, I love that Reston Town Center still believes in putting on a show.
11.  Gingerbread Xmas display at Hyatt. You don’t have to be a kid to be enthralled by the gingerbread display at the Hyatt. Every year the Hyatt chefs outdo themselves creating a magical gingerbread city animated by lights and a model train.
12. Handel Messiah sing-along. Thank you, Mrs. Lunsford, for insisting that we learn how to read music in high school chorus! Because one of my most meaningful holiday traditions is the privilege of singing along with the members of the Reston Chorale as they perform this breathtaking work.
13. Christmas lights. Drive through older neighborhoods to enjoy more tradition displays, or head out to North Reston to gape at some of the professionally decorated mansions along Fieldview Drive.
14. Jingle on the Lake (Lake Anne).   Every year community organizers and plaza retailers host a variety of festive activities ranging from strolling carolers to a petting zoo, music, wine tastings, children's crafts, cookie & ornament decorating, a holiday arts & crafts market, and the highlight of the event, Santa's arrival on a lake barge.
15. German Christkindlmarket. It's hardly a well-kept secret that the German Armed Forces Command (the Bundeswehr) maintains an office right here in Reston.  I'm not entirely sure what they get up to the rest of the year, but every December the Bundeswehr hosts an annual traditional German outdoor Christmas carnival. The free Christkindlmarket has games, handmade crafts and gifts to purchase, and of course, German food and beer.  (Because what holiday isn't improved by German food and beer?)  Best of all, proceeds from food and gift sales are donated to Cornerstones and other local charities.
16. Sledding down Mount Reston. Okay, so it’s not precisely a mountain, but every "true" Restonian knows that the best sledding hill in town is located just behind the Unitarian Church off of Wiehle Avenue. Though I’m nominating my own yard a close second for thrills – if you pick up enough speed on the steep slope that constitutes our front lawn, your reward is sailing into the icy creek at the base of the hill!

OTHER

1. Galleries & Art Installations. One of Robert Simon’s enduring legacies is ensuring that Reston continues to nurture and promote the arts. There are galleries at Reston Town Center and Lake Anne Plaza (the Lake Anne facility includes studio space; if you’re lucky, you can watch the artists actually at work), but you’ll also find the work of Reston artists on display at the Reston Community Center, the Walker Nature Center, and other local venues.
2. Get crafty @ the Reston Community Center. Or if you’d rather create your own crafts, the Reston Community Center has you covered! For a nominal fee you can enjoy unlimited use of their fully furnished woodshop, ceramics studio (including kiln), or stained glass lab. The last time I checked, they even staffed the rooms 1-2x month with professionals in case you need a little help making your vision happen.
3. Reston Farm Market. Reston hosts not one but two farm markets … talk about a surfeit of riches! I alternate between the Wednesday farmers market that sets up just off of Reston Avenue (offering the usual fresh fruits and vegetables + locally raised meats and prepared foods such as Cornish pasties, breads, and pies) and the larger Saturday farmers market at Lake Anne Plaza, which includes all of the above plus booths selling jewelry, homemade crafts, and gifts.
4. Join a club. Reston has a club for pretty much every possible interest and passion. We have sports clubs (Reston Runners, Reston Bike Club, Reston Soccer Association, Reston Tennis Association, Reston Youth Association, Reston Swim Team Association), hobby/special interest clubs (Reston Garden Club, Reston Book Club, Reston Photographic Society, Reston VIP Toastmasters Club, Reston Writers Roundup), business clubs (Reston Chamber of Commerce, Reston Young Professionals), political clubs (Republican Club of Greater Reston), community clubs (Greater Reston Newcomers & Neighbors Club, Reston Citizens Association, Reston Historic Trust), women's clubs (Woman’s Club of Greater Reston, Moms Club of Reston, AAUW Reston, League of Women Voters), activist/advocacy clubs (Initiative for Public Arts/Reston, Rescue Reston, Reston Accessibility Committee, Sustainable Reston) and several score of service clubs (Rotary Club of Reston, Reston Lion's Club, Reston Jaycees), which I'll discuss in more detail under "Volunteering". 
5. Take classes @ the Reston Community Center. Do yourself a favor – don’t just flip through your next issue of Reston Magazine; actually take the time to appreciate the incredible diversity of classes offered through the Reston Community Center. RCC offers more classes than some community colleges: everything from yoga to chess, Photoshop to country dancing – with such a variety, you’re bound to find something of interest.
6. Reston Presents lecture series. This is one of our RCC’s more unique offerings, made possible by the diverse cultural and professional backgrounds of the people who live in Reston. Every year the series organizers recruit a new group of Reston residents volunteer to talk about their areas of specialty, everything from global religions to cooking Spanish food to espionage.
7. Get involved in local politics. For a relatively quiet community, Reston residents always seem to find plenty of issues worthy of debate. Even as I write this, debate swirls over the fate of a local golf course, Silver Line development, cellphone towers, and a proposed rec center. If there’s a local issue that stirs your blood, consider becoming active on one of Reston Association’s many committees, look into serving on the Reston Citizen’s Association, or affiliate yourself with an informal citizen’s action committee. (One easy way to identify these groups is to monitor the editorial page of local publications.)
8. Enjoy events sponsored by local churches. We’ve got churches representing a host of different denominations, each offering their own unique programming – everything from service projects to living nativities at Christmas. Washington Plaza Baptist Church has been around for at least 35 years, as has United Christian Parish, or try one of Reston’s more recent arrivals.
9. Enjoy events sponsored by local businesses. As this list proves, the Reston community offers plenty in the way of entertainment! But you’re a fool not to take advantage of the great entertainment and educational opportunities offered by our Reston merchants – everything from wine tastings to movie festivals, pet adoptions, crafting classes, bike repair workshops, live music, poetry readings, cooking classes, home repair classes, gardening clinics, cake decorating tutorials, makeovers, and more.
10. Enjoy events sponsored by companies headquartered in Reston. Ever wondered about the identity of all those businesses secreted behind tree-shrouded parking lots? Turns out Reston hosts some fascinating organizations, including the U.S. Geological Survey (of course) but also Northern Virginia Community College (my son has taken a few classes at their Reston campus), the National Wildlife Federation, Google, the Audubon Society of Northern Virginia, the National Dance Association, the American Institute of Aeronautics & Astronautics, the American Society of News Editors and – by the way – almost a dozen teaching/education associations. Some of these organizations offer cool outreach events that are well worth attending.
11. Scouting/venturing. You have a choice of boy scout/girl scout troops in the area, ranging from small/mellow to large/active. I’ve been extremely impressed by the professionalism and dedication of the volunteers supporting these organizations in the Reston area, and some of the activities the kids become involved in (camping, rock-climbing, community service projects) are amazing!
12. Eat your way across the world. One of Reston’s most abundant resources in restaurants, international restaurants in particular. While I won’t mention any by name here (both because I don’t want to date the article and because I don’t want to offend anyone by leaving them off), you won’t have to look beyond the borders of Reston to enjoy authentic cuisine from around the world: Chinese, Japanese, Thai, Spanish, Italian, Greek, Mexican, French, Indian, Middle Eastern, Peruvian, Mediterranean, Afghan … basically, anything you could possibly have a taste for!  97. Go on a pub crawl. Perhaps our claim as the one-time home of a Virginia Gentleman distillery explains the ever-growing number of fine wine & craft beer establishments moving into our area? Again, will avoid mentioning specific vendors; however, there are now so many of them you could devote a couple months of weekend evenings to visiting them all.
13. Enjoy al fresco dining. While Reston winters and summers are best spent indoors, our springs and falls are fabulous, and one of the best ways to enjoy them is by kicking back at an outdoor table at one of our many Reston restaurants, a glass of something in cool in one hand, a boon companion by your side. Many of the eateries in this area offer at least some outdoor dining option.
14. Garage sales/community yard sale. RA sponsors at least one community yard sale every year; for a small fee you can rent table space and enjoy the foot traffic that this large event (approx. 100 tables) inevitably attracts. But don’t let the convenience of Craigslist deter you from enjoying the variety of individual family and community yard sales to be found throughout Reston – I’ve found that the diversity of this area results in all sorts of marvelously eclectic yard sale finds!
15. Party with the ‘hood. Some of my favorite childhood memories are of all the neighbors gathered together at the local cul-de-sac for an afternoon/evening of food, gossip and games/events (ex: volleyball, kickball, bike decorating contests, a children's parade). These days people are so busy it can be hard to get to know your neighbors: all the more reason to pick a day, create a flyer, drop off copies around the ‘hood, and either start or perpetuate this timeless tradition.
16. Volunteer. I’m pretty sure my next project will be "101 Ways to Volunteer in Reston" because I’m pretty sure there are many more than 101 separate, specific opportunities in this community for doing good and helping others. Why? Because that’s perhaps the #1 thing that most of us love about Reston – that as a community we’ve dedicated ourselves to fostering diversity, stamping out intolerance, and creating opportunities for all our citizens to realize their dreams. So go ahead: join one of our many civic organizations dedicated to providing services to those in need (Cornerstone/Reston Interfaith, FISH, American Association of University Women Reston/Herndon branch); raise funds for a worthy cause by participating in any one of the dozens of marathons, silent auctions, and/or benefits staged in Reston every year; or give the gift of time to any one of the multitude of community organizations that rely on the support of volunteers to help them fulfill their mission (schools, youth sports organizations, Reston Hospital, Embry Rucker Shelter, Friends of the Reston Library, Weed Warriors). What are you waiting for … yet more proof that, at its core, the passions, talents, and dedication of people are what make Reston so extraordinary?