The Holidays in Hilton Head

This year, my parents and I spent the holidays in Hilton Head Island in South Carolina. Don't worry: we didn't fly or mingle with strangers. We spent more than three weeks down south, and it was a very nice vacation. Here's how we spent our time:

1. Baking. If you already follow my blog, you know that I baked Rumchata cookies and banana oat muffins. I also made some dog treats for my parents' dogs (that post to come) so they didn't have to eat raw hide bones all the time. The kitchen always smelled good!

2. Sunbathing. I wasn't actually sure if I'd be able to get some sun this trip, given that it's the middle of winter. But warm weather is the best part of heading south at the end of the year. We had a few warm, sunny days that were great for laying by the pool. While the water was too cold to swim in, and the breeze could get a little chilly, I was thrilled to be able to enjoy one of my favorite summer activities in the dead of winter.

3. Shopping. I think this is a part of every holiday season, although this year I think a lot of us did most of our gift-buying online. But once we were down here, my mom and I hit up the Tanger Outlets in Blufton as well as our usual favorite spots like Marshalls and T.J. Maxx. I mostly bought athletic leggings, since I haven't had to wear real clothes since last March.

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4. Exercising. My mom and I bought an intro month at the local Pure Barre studio to keep fit during this time. I was already set on this plan, and when I told her about it, she wanted to join me, appointing me as her motivation to go. We went almost every morning, which was a great way to start the day. We also took daily walks along the beach with the dogs, and I did a couple of workout videos on our off-days. My dad and I played some tennis and went bike riding, too, so we had varied exercise during our trip. 

5. Holiday-things. Of course Santa visited us while we were on the island. We didn't do too many gifts since it was just the three of us, and my dad probably got the most of all of us! Normally I would write a blog post dedicated to the gifts I got, but this time around the gift-giving was so anti-climactic after a year like 2020 (plus, I can buy myself the things I really want). If you're interested in anything I'm re-gifting, check out my Poshmark site. 

6. Watching TV. Other than sleeping, this is how I spend the majority of my free time (since there's little more we can do). My mom and I have been binge-watching (on-and-off since the pandemic started) How to Get Away with Murder, and it's been fun having that be "our" thing. We watch 3-5 episodes a night when we're really on a roll. We also watched holiday movies, including classics like Home Alone, Elf, and The Santa Clause.

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7. Reading. To counteract the brain-mushing from all the TV, I made sure to read during the day as well as before bed. I read Mindy Kaling's second book, a cute children's book on unicorns, and a book about a father and son who survived 5+ years in the concentration camps during the Holocaust (I, like many Jews, have a sick fascination with this sort of thing.).

8. Eating. Maybe this goes without saying, but we did a lot of take out during our trip (who wants to cook on vacation?). We have our favorites down here: the pizza from Super Baked, the chicken salad from Hinchey's, and the enchiladas from Aunt Chilada's. We did try some new places, like New York City Pizza and Mi Tierra, but we're creatures of habit.

Sorry for the lack of photos, but it's just been a chill, relaxing trip!