For families with children, the holiday season can include several days of extra family and leisure time while school is out for Christmas break. While some choose to travel on vacations, others search for fun ways to fill the days at home and around town.
For Sylvia Sabala, a nurse who lives in Jefferson City, the Christmas holidays are a welcomed time of the year to enjoy low-key time with her family, which includes her husband, Jon, and kids Joshua, 17, and Jaycie, 19.
"We bake Christmas cookies together and cook meals," Sabala said. She added that activity is an additional treat, since her eldest child is away at college a good portion of the year and misses the family's home cooking.
Her family never has much trouble finding fun things to do together, Sabala said.
"We play board games, and we go bowling together," she said. "We try to eat dinner together and go shopping. We decorate the tree together and go to the movies."
Since Sabala originally hails from Germany, one extra important activity the family partakes in is using Skype to catch up with family overseas. Time off school and work also gives them the chance to attend Joshua's recreation league basketball games. The family's schedule fills up pretty quickly, and Sabala is content with that.
"I think this is all we could handle," she said.
Jefferson City resident Meghan Maskery Luecke, an attorney with three young children, said her family chooses to spend their days off both traveling and attending local community events.
"We spend a lot of time during the holiday break visiting family and friends out of town," Maskery Luecke said. Her family enjoys traveling and plans to spend the holidays in the warmth of Orlando, as well as Chicago.
"It's the best time of the year to visit Florida, because it's the longest vacation during the school year, and the weather is perfect," she said.
When she and her family aren't traveling, they like to visit the Runge Nature Center for Holiday Happenings, the center's annual open house event that features activities, crafts, food and more.
"They have a bunch of activities for kids and adults, and it's free," Maskery Lueke said.
They also try to stop by the Missouri River Regional Library,
"It's a great place to find activities during the break," she said. "Last year, we made New Year's Eve noisemakers and hats at a library event."
Even when they're just hanging out at home, Maskery Luecke said her family can have plenty of fun together tackling craft projects or trying new games.
"There are so many fun things to make on Pinterest, like salt dough ornaments and homemade Christmas cards," she said. "There's a lot of fun to be had just hanging out at home playing with all the new toys. It's very important to have a break in the middle of the school year to spend time with family and friends that we may not see too often. And it's good to take a break from the routine."
For fellow Jefferson City resident Stephanie Woods, the holiday break with her boys Ethan, 15, and Lucas, 11, offers many special moments.
"The boys and I like to use our free time to plan get-togethers with our friends that we haven't seen in a while due to our hectic schedule," Woods said.
Since both her sons are avid hockey players and enthusiasts, the family enjoys attending Stick and Puck, which offers adult and youth hockey players the time to practice their hockey skills in an informal pick-up game setting.
"If we get the time, we like to make it to a St. Louis Blues game over the break," Woods said.
Woods added she and her sons enjoy visiting with family at a cabin they have in the country.
"The boys get to spend time with their grandparents, and I get to spend time to catch up on my reading," Woods said.
And when it snows enough, the family will take turns sledding down their hill near their home, she added. "Hoping nobody crashes into the creek like I did last year."
As far as Christmas traditions go, Woods said she and her sons always make time to bake cookies - sugar with cream cheese icing - for Santa Claus.
In addition to observing traditions and filling the days with holiday activities, Woods emphasized it's important to simply enjoy being together and having some leisure time.
"The down time is very important," Woods said. "It's just nice to relax together without having to prepare for homework, gather gear or rush out the door."
Family-friendly activities for Christmas break
Holiday Happenings, 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday, Runge Conservation Nature Center. The focus of this year's event is the forest, and each day will highlight forests through walks, stories, activities, crafts, food and more. The event is free and includes activities for all ages. No registration is required.
Capital City Holiday Hoops Showcase, 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Wednesday-Friday, Fleming Field House and Rackers Field House. Take in some exciting high school basketball at this annual tournament. This year's lineup includes the Missouri National Guard Shootout, youth basketball clinic, Holiday Hoops Invitational, Great Eight Class, a slam dunk contest and a 3-point shootout.
Family Craft Time, 11 a.m.-noon Thursday, Missouri River Regional Library Art Gallery. Come create your own New Year's hats and blowers. For more library programs, visit mrrl.org/kids-programs.
Ice skating - Washington Park Ice Arena. The rink offers public skating sessions most afternoons and some evenings. For the full schedule, visit jeffersoncitymo.gov/parkfull/washington_park_ice_arena or call 573-634-6580.
Bowling - Capitol Bowl. Try some friendly family competition or just have fun enjoying a new activity. The bowling alley is open noon-9 p.m. Dec. 26-31 and noon-8 p.m. Jan. 1. For more information, visit Capitol Bowl's Facebook page.
Roller Skating - Sk8 Zone. Visit the roller rink on Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays for a warmer alternative to ice skating. For public session times, visit sk8-zone.us.
Movies - Capital 8 Theater. Take in a new movie, such as Disney's latest animated feature, "Moana." For showtimes, visit goodrichqualitytheaters.com/missouri/capital8.
Editor's Note: This article was meant for publication on Christmas weekend. It originally was posted online too early and therefore may have confused some readers with its time references.