Outdoorsy and Non-Traditional Ways to Celebrate the Holiday Season
As the holidays roll in, many people picture crackling fireplaces, packed dining tables, and long afternoons indoors. But for us at Outdoor Mavens—and anyone who feels most alive under an open sky—the season can be so much more than that. It’s an invitation to step outside, rethink traditions, and reconnect with the landscapes and communities that ground us. If you are someone who is craving a fresh way to celebrate this time of year-in a way that honors the land, indigenous peoples, and your thirst for the unconventional—this post is for you. If you’re craving a holiday season that feels more intentional, adventurous, and connected to place, here are some outdoor-inspired ways to celebrate.
Host a Gratitude Hike Instead of a Formal Dinner
Invite friends, family, or your outdoor community for a sunrise or sunset hike. Instead of gathering around a table, gather around an overlook. Share stories, thanks, or a simple moment of quiet together.
Pro tip: Bring a thermos of something warm—ginger tea, cider, or hot cocoa—and watch the day shift in real time.
Create a Holiday Micro-Adventure Tradition
Rather than a big, exhausting getaway, choose a short adventure that fits into a single day or evening:
A night hike with headlamps
A local peak you’ve never tackled
A campfire cookout in a nearby state park
A bikepacking overnighter
Micro-adventures are easier to plan around packed schedules, and they create memories far more vivid than another round of leftovers.
Practice Land Acknowledgement
If you choose to celebrate Thanksgiving, pair it with meaningful learning and action:
Identify the Indigenous nation whose land you’re on
Visit a cultural center or museum run by Native communities
Support Indigenous-owned outdoor brands, artists, and nonprofits
Learn local ecological wisdom and stewardship practices
Make it yearly (and daily!) ritual to honor the land by caring for it.
Swap Shopping for Stewardship
Black Friday doesn’t have to mean lines and fluorescent lighting.
Instead, join or organize:
A trail cleanup. We love the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance (SUWA)
A habitat restoration day
A beach or riverside trash sweep
A community gear swap (reduce, reuse, and keep adventuring)
Activities like these build community—and they reflect the gratitude we feel for the spaces that hold our adventures.
Make Your Holiday Meal Outdoors
Yes, really. It can be as simple as renting out a nearby group picnic site and hosting a potluck with a campfire. A few menu items to get you started:
Campfire chili
Dutch-oven cornbread
Foil-wrapped root veggies
Cast-iron apple crisp
Cooking outdoors turns a routine meal into a memory. And, if you’re solo, it can be a peaceful, grounding way to mark the day.
Start a First Snow Tradition
If you live somewhere cold, celebrate the first snowfall with an annual ritual:
Snowshoe exploration
A hot-soup picnic
Winter camping (for the bold)
A photography walk documenting seasonal changes
Even if it doesn’t snow where you live, choose a natural phenomenon—first frost, leaf change, solstice sunrise—and honor it every year. Rituals like these serve to ground you in the changing of the seasons and keep you grounded in presence.
Gratitude That Lives Beyond the Holiday
This time of year invites us to reflect—not only on what we’re thankful for, but also on how we choose to celebrate, gather, and give back. By stepping outside, acknowledging the fuller history of holidays like Thanksgiving, and finding meaning in the landscapes around us, we create traditions that are rooted, honest, and alive.
At Outdoor Mavens, we believe that the best way to honor the season is to live it outside—with intention, community, and a deep respect for the land beneath our feet. Here’s to a holiday season filled with fresh air, open trails, and gratitude that goes far beyond the table.
