 Hey everyone! Merry Christmas! I contemplated not putting my tree in this video, but I have decided that it is necessary because it is still Thursday and we don't know the results of the election, so we need some Christmas cheer, okay? We just need some Christmas cheer. Hi everyone, my name is Katie and I am on a gap year in 2020, like many students across the globe. So even if you are in college this year, you're probably not having the typical experience. So this video is really just for anyone sort of feeling bogged down by 2020 and like looking for just some things to do. If you're interested to see more of what I'm getting up to this year, I post new videos every Monday and Thursday, so if you want to subscribe, that'd be cool. If you don't, that's cool too, but I just think that it would be fun for you. So in the year of 2020, it's very easy to distract yourself, and I was doing this with Instagram for like six months, and that was bad. So I really wanted to compile a list of the things that I have done, A, since I've quit Instagram, and just since I have, you know, been living as a human in 2020, let's just jump right into it. Activity number one, drive around and scream, sing, Taylor Swift in your car, or any song of your choice, but Taylor Swift has just been my artist of choice for the last like month or two. So, but do whatever you want. I do recommend something dramatic though, because it just like really lets awesome steam. Like, even if you're one of those people who like listens to like screen music, like even to that, like just like just let awesome steam, it's great. I'm driving one bit, not at all, not one bit. You can see that there's a parked car right there. Oh, I have a neighbor going by. Two, go outside and paint the landscape, because it's really pretty and the trees are just like, you know what, we just really want to be painted. There's a like a kind of a little like reservoir, like lake thing, like right near where I live, and I saw these ladies like just like painting outside the other day, and I was like, wow, I should do that. Um, mine did not turn out the same probably, but you know what, it's an activity. Number three, go for a walk. Um, this is something I started doing in college most of the time. Well, okay, my family is like a big walking family, like we're that type of family, like when we go to New York City, like you don't take cab, you don't take the metro, like you walk, and if you don't walk fast enough, you get left behind. Oh my god. So, I'm a walker. So, I walk a lot, but so when I got to college, I like really needed an outlet to get away from my roommates. So, I would walk around the Charleston City a lot. So, if you're looking for something to do, going for a walk, even in your city, like put your mask on, go outside, go look at the trees, play some good music, um, and it's just, it's a really like peaceful experience. It's like, it's like driving, but you're outside breathing fresh air. So, that's, that's kind of good. Number four, start a YouTube channel. Um, I promise you, it's really embarrassing, and um, it's, it kind of makes me want to die every single time I post about it on my Instagram, or that I tell people about it, but it's really fun. So, if you're like, oh that's something I've always wanted to do, like, you should do it, it's really fun, like I don't, I don't know how to tell you. Number five, write that book that you've always wanted to. Um, it's a really good time to do that. Write it about 2020 and your experiences, and um, like here is me writing my book. Number six, call your friends. Catch up. When I call and talk to my friends, like, it's almost like we're having lunch, because like sometimes I'll sit and talk to them for like an hour and a half. So, like, make like dates with your friends, not like, you know what I mean, like make a date and like set a time and be like, okay, on like Wednesday at seven o'clock, like we're gonna talk and have a good chat, because it's just, it's really good to connect with people, like if you're at home, like other than the immediate people who live in your house. Number seven, stare at a wall for five hours. Number eight, cry. Have in-depth conversations about human existence and existentiality with your dog. Are you a good person? Are we good people? Is Kim Kardashian the pinnacle of modern society? What does that mean for us as a generation? Ten, try on all your clothes. Hi, I'm Katie. And could I be wearing more clothes? I jerked you. I jerked you. You thought that it was gonna be like me wearing different outfits, but it wasn't. It was me pulling a Joey from friends doing the opposite of not getting dressed, which is wearing all of your clothes, so. Number 11, learn a new recipe. I sometimes make cookies, which that's not a new recipe, that's just like me wanting cookies, but it's still like something to do, you know, some, try like making a cake. I did that for someone's birthday, like instead of like going out, like I was like, oh, like let me try and make like a cake from scratch. I'm better at baking. Cooking is like kind of my thing. I cooked like for myself last year in college, but like, I didn't really hit my stride because like I'm a college student and like, it was kind of a miracle, like if I made like a potato for dinner, like that was like the peak of my cuisine. Number 13, pretend to go to France. This is just a shameless plug. I made a video where I pretended to go to France. Go watch it. Number 14, read a new book every week. If you like love book clubs or like, you are like a literature person, read a book or join like an online book club. Like I know a lot of places have that, like there's a lot of small YouTubers who have like small book clubs or like things like that. So you could totally join that. That'd be so fun. Number 15, get an internship. This might be a little bit harder because A, we're in a pandemic, but B is, I don't know what B is. I'm just going to leave that there, but try to get an internship, throw your name out there. You know, it'll get you some professional experience, which is always good. I love having internships. I have one right now, which is super cool. Getting an internship might be a little bit harder right now. I know a lot of people are sort of struggling with finding them. But even if you are having trouble finding an internship or a job, try making a LinkedIn profile. Try making a resume if you haven't had one before. Taking any steps toward that goal of getting an internship, whether it's like a remote one or maybe it's in an office where there aren't a lot of people. It's just definitely something to consider because it can add, you know, another layer to your life. Number 16, put up your Christmas decorations way too early. She's so cute. All of my other Christmas decorations are packed away. Like when I tell you, like I go full on like Bethany Moda. Like since I was like 15, I have like Christmas throw pillows. I have specific lights that go up. I have another Christmas tree. This one was for my dorm last year because I just, I can't physically live through the month of November or December without a Christmas tree. It's just, it's like, it's like air. I need it because it starts getting cold and then it's just like, well, what am I supposed to look at? I can't just look at a regular lamp. I have to look at one that's twinkly. Okay. Number 17, watch every movie that you have ever wanted to see. So I think this is a really fun one because like, it's fun to watch movies. Um, but start writing down like all of those movies that you were like, oh, like I'm meaning to see that. Like being a young person, like there's a long list of like iconic movies that like I have wanted to see or people have mentioned to me. And I think that's a really good way to just sort of like occupy your time. Like if you're not like, if you can't see friends, because like we're all going into like probably another lockdown. I know that people in the UK like are already maybe, I think they're already in a lockdown, which is rough. Like it's, I have a feeling that the next couple of months are going to be rough, which is not like super cool. So try, you know, compiling a list of movies and make it sort of like a nice night. So maybe you make like a nice dinner. Like, oh yes, like I get to eat my nice dinner and watch this movie that I've always wanted to see. Like just giving yourself like those little things that maybe seem a little bit more special, um, can just like add a little bit of like something to look forward to. Okay. Number 18, challenge yourself. So I have been in school since preschool and it was really weird to think of spending a whole year not challenging myself, like not challenging myself academically or in any sort of like career way. Like I think especially in the area that I am from, like there is always this sense of like needing to better yourself, which is always, that's a good thing. Like I'm not saying, like it's sort of just like this race to be successful and to like, to like go places and to have a career and finish school and then maybe grad school and like it's taken me a minute to like be okay with not doing anything. And I think that a good way to sort of occupy your time is to focus on some of the things that maybe you've put off because you were in school. This can be something very small. Like for me, I wanted to try to give up social media for a month. So I haven't checked Instagram since like September, like the first or second week of September, I forget when. And after that month, I have just decided to keep going with it. So I actually haven't checked Instagram in like a full two months, which has been really actually very nice. And it's changed my life in a very positive way. So even something small like that. Okay, so number 19. I said this video is going to be 20. I think it's 19. I can't come up with another one. I don't know. But number 19 is have a spa day. Like paint your nails. I need to paint my nails. Do a face mask. Like, I don't know, like eat some chocolate. Like just have a day. Like that just sounds nice. I don't know. So if you like this video, give it a thumbs up and comment down below something that you are doing on your gap year or if you're not taking a gap year or you're just like, you know, you're a student, but like life is just kind of hard right now. Like tell me like what you've been doing to, you know, keep your spirits up. So if you haven't yet already subscribed, we're very small over here. So if you want to subscribe, that'd be cool. Let's let's hope we find out who the president is that that'd be a nice way to end this week. That's number 20. Finding out that we have a good president. That'd be nice.