It’s Hip to be Cool

While all your friends are posting their awesome holiday pics on social media, you can also be seriously cool this December, in the comfort of your own home

Controlling the temperature inside a building or home has been a human need for centuries. Even ancient Egyptians had ways of cooling their spaces with reeds and dripping water. Modern interior heating and cooling has evolved substantially since it was first developed to address interior temperature comfort in 1902. Before its development, theatres would close during sweltering summer months because of the impossibility of cooling such spaces.

Now, air conditioners are no longer a major luxury item, but almost a standard fixture in most homes and certainly in office buildings and shopping centres. In fact, *studies have shown that human productivity peaks in temperatures between 21 and 22 degrees Celsius – so, it makes economic sense for businesses to ensure they install air conditioning.

If you have air conditioning in your home, you’re not going to want to pack up the car, take a mad-dash drive to your usual coastal or bush space and spend the holidays traipsing about in intense heat and dealing with hordes of other holiday-makers. You’re definitely going to want to maximise your downtime with a cool staycation.

To get your chill on, simply check out the myriad options from Samsung – whether you want a fully integrated system or a single split unit, you’ll find a chill solution to suit your unique needs, with super-tech Virus Doctor and Easy Filter options. If you’re not sure what to do with all your chill out time, here are a few ways up your downtime that’ll have your beach-going friends red-hot with envy.

Theme days

Travel around the world at home. Get each member of the family to choose a destination and create a day themed around that destination – from meals and décor to music and activities, the entire family will have loads of fun getting creative. For example, if Paris is on the list, here are a few tips to create your day:

• Meals:

Breakfast: Warm croissants and hot chocolate. Lunch: Pate, bread, cheese (baked camembert is a must), simple salad. Dinner: Hachis Parmentier – this is a French version of cottage pie; simply jump onto your smartphone and get a recipe. Easy to prepare and exquisitely delicious. Décor: Bring out the red, white and blue, and include sharply white tablecloths and table linen; create an art-gallery in your lounge or dining area with hand-made art pieces. Put the lights down low and make use of fairy lights or candles. Dress: A beret or two, as well as clean lines in plain colours. Music: Pump up the Edith Piaf.

• Competition time: Challenge family members to come up with an activity that everyone can do and enjoy – from a ‘come dine with me challenge’ to producing a skit. If you are going to get the family to produce plays or performances, set up a stage area in the biggest room of your home, using sheets and blankets as a curtained-off space.

• Film festival: Get each family member to choose their favourite movie and create a comfortable space in front of the TV (tip: get rid of the couch and lay blankets and cushions down for a luxuriously bohemian experience). Line up the movies and enjoy with gourmet popcorn, home-made slushies and drive-in food (burgers, milkshakes and ice-cream Sundaes).

Source:

*http://alifeofproductivity.com/temperature-productivity/