If your family has chosen to stay home for the holidays, the opportunities to celebrate the season are endless. More than Christmas songs like Elvis Presley’s “Blue Christmas” or Otis Redding’s “Merry Christmas Baby,” Memphis has much to keep you and your family busy this winter break.

If you’re interested in community service, you can donate clothes, toys, and money to shelters and organizations like Toy for Tots and Angel Tree. If giving your time seems more manageable, volunteers are welcome to help with Starry Nights in Shelby Farms and the Enchanted Forest at the Pink Palace Museum. Don’t forget to drop your spare change into the Salvation Army’s buckets outside stores.

If you want to go out for the night, various venues offer a range of entertainment. Theater Memphis is offering its annual production of Charles Dickens’s A Christmas Carol, and the Canon Center is hosting the “Home for the Holidays” concert of the Memphis Symphony Orchestra. Ballet Memphis also has its annual performance of The Nutcracker at the Peabody.

Other Memphis attractions host an assortment of family events. Graceland offers a special tour with Christmas decorations. Zoo Lights at the Memphis Zoo and Snowy Nights at the Memphis Botanic Garden provide activities from light shows and games to concessions and ice skating. The Mid South Ice House also offers ice skating, as well as holiday festivities and a special performance of The Nutcracker.

Winter is the perfect time to find a seasonal job and make money without committing for more than a couple of months. Just be aware that you might have to sacrifice some time with friends and family during the holidays.

Take advantage of any down time you have during the break. Traditions like decking the halls in your home, baking cookies for Santa, and decorating a gingerbread house can put you in the holiday mood. Relax by wearing footie or flannel pajamas while sipping some hot cocoa, apple cider, or eggnog. Apple and pecan pies and cinnamon rolls can also satisfy a sweet tooth. Drive through neighborhoods at night to see all the lights and yard decor, or spend some time with friends and family watching Christmas movies like It’s a Wonderful Life, Home Alone, or Elf. ABC Family hosts 25 Days of Christmas, a holiday movie marathon that airs one film each night in December until Christmas.

The holiday spirit might make you you to crave a peppermint mocha or pass out candy canes to schoolchildren. You may finally learn how to wrap gifts, you may race in the Memphis Jingle Bell Run/Walk for arthritis, or you may simply warm yourself by the fireplace. In whatever you choose, make your winter break mean something to you.