This article was written by The Zillennial Zine’s senior fall editorial intern Dalal Daher. Find her on Instagram at @dalalllldaher. If you would like to share an article with The Zillennial, send us an email at thezillennialzine@gmail.com.
Whether you’re a college student coming back for winter break or just coming home for the holidays, seeing your hometown friends is one of the best things about returning to your hometown. It can be easy to fall into a routine of meeting up with high school or hometown friends over coffee or dinner due to convenience.
While reconnecting in a cozy cafe is great, falling into a pattern of simply catching up with an old friend can limit the time you guys have to create new memories together. So when you’re home for the holidays this year, try out some of these fun activities that will both give you time to hear all the details on your friends’ lives and create core friendship memories to reminisce on at the next cafe catch-up.
Cooking together
If you’re looking for a budget-friendly alternative to catching up over dinner or drinks, try cooking together with your friends! Pick a nostalgic or cultural recipe, go grocery shopping together, and make a dish together! Not only will you have the chance to catch up with old friends over a delicious meal, but the experience of cooking food together will feel much more organic and break any ice that lingers from having not seen someone in a while.
Not the biggest cook, but still want to catch up over a meal? Order some takeout and attempt to curate some cocktails or even frost some cookies together for dessert!
Themed nights
A classic catch up activity is to throw a Powerpoint night! The beauty in this popular gathering is that you can include as many people as you want or keep it small. It’s perfect for friend groups but also really handy when answering the open-ended question “What’s new with you?”
Another convenient part of Powerpoint night is the different themes you can pick! If your primary goal is to get all the details of your friends’ lives you didn’t cover over texts and phone calls, you could do a simple ‘catch me up on your year’ Powerpoint night, or a ‘what do you actually do at work’ night. If you’re looking for a laugh and to make some fun memories, you could pick any theme you want, such as ‘which one of our friends would survive the zombie apocalypse,’ ‘how would our friends end up in jail,’ and more!
In this same vein is throwing a ‘bring your own board’ night, where everyone brings a board of various foods in a potluck-style gathering. This can be whatever theme you want- from charcuterie boards, to boards divided by color, this is a fun and delicious way to catch up with old friends.
Make some art
For the more adventurous friends, try reconnecting over creating some art together. The simplest way to do so is to find an artsy class such as a paint and sip session or a foray to a pottery making studio. Depending on where you live, there’s an array of similar classes, and from jewelry making to sneaker designing and decoden phone case studios (decorative phone case crafting), you can truly find any type of class where you and your friends can bond over your creations. And, you get to take home a cute, personalized, and treasured reminder of your friendship!
Not only is this a fun way to catch up with someone, where you can chit chat over what you guys are making, but you’ll have time to unwind and talk without the pressure of breaking the ice that comes with stiffer activities like dinner or coffee. If you want even more creative flexibility and time to talk, you could order some DIY kits like this candle making set so you can replicate a studio session in the comfort of your home. You could also make each other matching charm jewelry, paint portraits of each other, or even attempt to make a song with a free trial of a production software.
Release some endorphins
Try a new workout class with an old friend and bond over how deceptively hard pilates is! Or dress like hot yoga moms and walk on a trail or park together. Working out or doing a physical activity with your friends will release stress and improve your moods, which will imbue your hangout with positive, easygoing energy. You could even play tag or frisbee with your friends if you want to embrace your inner child! Also, trying out a new activity will be a great conversation starter for the next time you guys catch up and an opportunity to have a ‘thing’ you have in common with a friend you’ve possibly drifted apart from.
Catching Up Over Games
If you’re looking for a fun and interactive way to catch up with friends, why not play some classic games together? Whether it’s a relaxing card game like Hearts or Spades, or a puzzle game like Sudoku, games provide the perfect setting for casual conversation while keeping things engaging.You can even work as a team to solve Sudoku puzzles online or challenge each other to a friendly competition. Games add an element of fun while allowing you to reconnect in a laid-back atmosphere. Try playing Sudoku together online or set up a virtual card game night to make catching up even more memorable!
Dress up and do a photoshoot
When in doubt, dress up. I personally think hangouts are a thousand times better when your outfit is either fabulous or funny. Getting Chick-fil-A and chatting in the car is nice, but wouldn’t it be even funnier if you were dressed to the nines doing so? A powerpoint night is fun but even funnier when everyone is dressed as an emo rapper. For the fashion-oriented, maybe you and your friend can dress as Sex and the City or Gossip Girl characters for your next coffee chat. And don’t forget to snap some pictures while doing so. Unleash your goofy side, pick a theme to dress for (maybe simple matching outfits if you are not trying to be too over the top), and take some pictures you’ll cherish forever.
Would you try any of these fun catch-up activities with your hometown friends? Let us know in the comments below!
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