The cold weather is officially in full swing, and finding ways to enjoy winter are becoming more challenging to find. Fear not! There are still many ways to enjoy winter that won’t break the bank or cause you to travel halfway around the world to get out of it and into a warmer climate.
With the advent of the cooking channels, learning how to be a passable-to-phenomenal cook has taken on a different meaning. No longer is this considered ‘Women’s Work’ (oh, please!!!). Cooking is instead now considered a part of a healthy lifestyle. Do you hate breakfast? One of the ways to enjoy winter could be for you to come up with some palatable breakfast ideas. Have you always wanted to learn how to make a good slow-cooked barbecue recipe? What better way to warm up the house (and your appetite) than with the smell of brisket wafting through the house? Whatever you want to make, try it on those days when you’d rather be inside!
Instead of avoiding the inevitable, start to enjoy it. Give cross country skiing a try. It can be kinder to your knees than downhill skiing, and also allow you to look around and see the beauty of the season. And don’t forget about the tremendous amounts of calories this can burn! It’s easy to throw the dog into the backyard to run around for a few minutes, or let the kids take him for a walk. But why don’t you strap on those big boots and head out with them? If you layer your clothes properly, you might be surprised at how agonizing it isn’t!
Do you feel like you should watch the old classic movies, but have never taken the time to introduce yourself to movie land’s Scarlett O’Hara, Maggie Pollitt, or Mr. Roberts? Grab a bowl of popcorn and do it now! Did you buy your set of Rosetta Stone language CDs with the best of intentions, but they’re still sitting on your bookshelf? Faire maintenant! When you say there is less to do in winter than in summer, the issue may just be you’re not used to the choices available to you in the winter. Expand that vision, and your mind!
Have you become so comfortable with your home looking the way it does that you’ve stopped thinking of ways to give it a face lift? Many of these ways don’t even cost a dime. Just switch the couch and the lounge chair, and see how more changes fall into place. It will give you a new perspective on an old space, as well as open the doors of your creativity for more positive changes.
One of the easiest and least productive things to do in the winter is to turn on the old TV set. Do you notice how hours can fly by without even realizing it? If you’re in the middle of a root canal, this can be great, but if you’re trying to find ways to expand your life, this could hold you back. Imagine what life is like with only 2 hours of TV every day. It still seems like a lot, but chances are, you watch double that, and more on the weekends. Turning off the TV can help you to stop looking at others’ lives (real or fictional), and help you to start living your own more fully!
The local Commerce Departments want you to still come out and enjoy your community. Many of them have several ways to encourage this, from indoor farmer’s markets to winter festivals. Look at your local communities’ websites and find out what’s going on. Even if it’s not usually something up your alley, why not spare an hour or two out of your weekend filled with trying to figure out a way to get through winter by getting through it at a festival with others?
Winter can lead us into a state of hibernation, where we wait it out for grilling season to begin before we see our neighbors and friends regularly again. But why wait? Shovel off that frill, and fire it up! Invite the friends and fam over for a game night, movie night, or just because night. One of the best ways to get through winter is to do it all together!
Winter brings about its own challenges, from driving in ice and snow to the extra hours of darkness. Use these ideas, and you will find yourself sledding through winter on your way to spring! How do you like to get through the winter days and nights?