It’s Christmas. The season of giving, good cheer, and holiday game releases. There are tons of good games to play this year end; why, you haven’t even finished Skyrim. You might not even get halfway through it before Christmas! And there’s your mum asking you to come out of your room and talk to your Aunt Sally, who has come over for dinner.
Here are five tips how to spend a happy gaming holiday (and not ruin your family’s Christmas).
Find out your family’s holiday schedule
If you’re anything like most of the gamers around, your free gaming days are commonly spent in a stupor. You hardly know what’s going on, and are usually taken by surprise when you are reminded of things like eating, showering, or even a date with your girlfriend.
To avoid getting surprised by unexpected holiday lunches with the family, dates with your significant other or going to church, take early note of your appointments, and write them down, preferably on something you won’t lose, like your phone or computer. If you make time to accommodate your family, they’ll definitely do the same for you. Families are (usually) nice that way.
Sleep early
This is weird, because most gamers sleep at the crack of dawn, or when the sun rises. But look at it this way: sleeping early means avoiding boring, hours-long small talk with relatives. This is especially effective if you have relatives who just love sitting in until midnight. Sleeping early also means you wake up early, and guess what’s the best thing about that? Holiday reunions and visits usually take place at lunch or after; nobody has a Christmas breakfast.
That means… you have the entire morning to game without disturbance. Hooray!
Buy Christmas presents in November
One of the most annoying things about Christmas must be shopping for presents. The crowds are ludicrous, the struggle in figuring out what to buy is stressful, and the present-wrapping queues are longer than those at H&M’s launch. It also takes ages, and ages, and ages, and all that time spent queuing and getting elbowed by aunties could very well be spent in-game.
Avoid all that by doing your shopping in November, or at worst early December. Sure, you might miss out on the Christmas sales, but that’s very well worth your sanity and playtime.
Work ahead of time
December is crunch-time for most of us. School projects are due, bonuses are being calculated, and slacking off could mean the difference between having a Christmas turkey from Cold Storage and a quick meal at the kopitiam. But December is also like the Friday of the year – you just don’t feel like working. It’s Christmas!
Avoid falling into that rut of slacking off by finishing your more important work ahead of time, like in November. Not only will you impress your superiors with your time management and efficiency, you’ll also have the whole of December free for gaming.
Take your own holiday
A couple of days ago, an awesome gamer-chick posted a Facebook status, saying she would be away for holiday in Skyrim for the next four days. If your family isn’t going to give, then it’s up to you to dictate your own holiday gaming time. Of course, you don’t necessarily have to tell them you’re holidaying in Tamriel. You could simply say “I’m off to Bali for the weekend!” and disappear to your best friend’s place for a Skyrim marathon. It’s a creative “getaway” that doesn’t bring you out of Singapore but still gives you the feeling of being away from home.
Just sayin’, you know. It’s cheaper than a Bali getaway, too.
