Motzaei Shabbos Activities
How do you spend your winter Motzaei Shabbos?
Fridays have turned into five minutes long, Friday nights are spent on the couch with some rugelach and your favorite magazine, and the afternoon is one short nap and then Seudah Shlishis. Motzaei Shabbos stretches out in an empty canvas of cozy family time and friend get-togethers.
So spill the tea: How do you spend your winter Motzaei Shabbos?
ES: Sometimes I hang out with friends and we get pizza or go ice skating (there’s a rink near here). Sometimes I do a “self-care” night — hot cocoa, shower early, light some scented candles, use a scented lotion, put on cozy pajamas, read.... I feel like the week is so hectic that I can’t relax or read often enough. And what sounds better than curling up with hot cocoa, pajamas, and a good book? I know it sounds super cliché and a little self-absorbed but it’s really nice, and then you don’t feel so drained when you have to tackle a whole new week.
RF: During a recent Motzaei Shabbos, my family had a cook-off and it was a party! Basically the judge (my brother) gave us three ingredients (a can of tuna, marinara sauce, and a garlic clove), and we had to make something normal in under 20 minutes. We played it twice. Of course we celebrated with ice cream.
DK: I clean my room and organize my notes. I know it sounds super boring, but I need to do it, otherwise the mess just builds up. Sometimes I’ll call my friend who goes to a different school, and we rehash our weeks.
SL: Even though we’re actually ending Shabbos late now Down Under (Australia, people!), one of the things I love for the long Motzaeis is a game night. Gather some cousins (or friends, even sibs), get some fun games (think Codenames, Pictionary, Balderdash), and ta-da! In my experience, schmoozing happens more than playing, but the main thing is to have fun. Oh, and some popcorn. Or roasted potatoes — they’re yum to snack on.
SS: We like to pick different themes for Melaveh Malkah, cook them, serve, and eat all together. It’s so fun and keeps the togetherness of Shabbos going.
TF: Baking! My mother used to get upset, because she’d just finished cleaning up, but now she counts on me to keep us well stocked with cakes and cookies throughout the week. Invite a friend or sibling to join!
CM: Get together will all your cousins and aunts with popcorn and games or a kumzitz.
SC: It’s one of our only free nights, so we try to go bowling as a family. It’s so fun. My father is really good! The rest us of might need bumpers.
YT: Here in Eretz Yisrael, we try to make it over to the Kosel. Sometimes we’ll walk. The Kosel on Motzaei Shabbos is always filled with American sem girls, holding their wheelie bags.
AG: My mother and I clean the kitchen together, and then on Sunday, she’ll take me shopping or for ice cream. It’s a cute deal, and we have the best schmoozes.
CM: We love to go ice skating on an early Motzaei Shabbos!
LM: My best friend and I go walking. It’s the best — we put on comfy sweatshirts and sneakers and schmooze away. The weather is amazing for it, because you can work up a sweat without shvitzing your head off. Then, once we’re all fit and exercised, we have ice cream or popcorn ’cuz, hello, we burned all those calories!
BR: Shower, pjs, and a good book! I try not to read novels on Shabbos, and I save my reads for Motzaei Shabbos. At least in the winter I still get to go to sleep early.
AB: Pump your family up and then play a super fun game, like Codenames. Hot chocolate is mandatory!
YS: I like to get dressed up and go out with friends. I’ll usually ask my older sister where she’s going and then go to the same place, so transportation is not an issue.
TR: I usually clean my room and then go find out if there’s any leftover food. Sometimes I invite my friends over and we schmooze and hang out until it gets really late.
LK: My family usually goes out for pizza — parents, babies, and all. We wait until Avos Ubanim is over and then run out. It’s really special.
Have more Motzaei Shabbos ideas / activities you’d like to share with teens out there? Email us at cozey@mishpacha.com
(Originally featured in Cozey, Issue 990)
Oops! We could not locate your form.
RELATED CONTENT
A quandary. Which meant that the high school wasn’t going to let me in. Which meant I was stuck.
I was impressed at her ignorance. I was mad at her flippancy. “What do you mean, you’ve been there for me?
