Tis’ the season of snowflakes and chapped lips. Time is slowing down, the chilly cold air is starting to pierce through your skin, and your joints are acting up. That’s when you know it’s officially winter.
Although the wintertime can be rough and a little moody at times, you can only experience many cold-weather activities during winter. Instead of spending the next few months hibernating and binge-watching Netflix, here are eight other comforting ways to battle the cold winter months:
1. Make Yourself A Cup of Hot Drink
When the winter air outside is bitterly cold, nothing is more comforting than a mug of hot drink in your hands. A steaming cup of your herbal tea, a warm glass of milk?
There’s very little in life that you can’t improve with a hot drink in hand. So put on the kettle, get out your favorite winter mug and make yourself a nice, warm serving of happiness in a cup. To add to that wholesomeness, use a heavier mug.
2. Snuggle Up With a Good Book
With extra time off during the holiday season, there’s no better time than now to catch up on your stack of paperback books or e-books on your to-read pile. It’s the perfect opportunity to escape the winter blues and go on an adventure that resides in those very pages of a book. So make a reading nook, light up a candle, and cozy up with a good book. Now, imagine if your reading nook is next to a window as snowflakes fall. That’s pure bliss.
Not an avid reader and unsure of what to read? Look up some winter recommendations on Goodreads, or check out your local bookstore!
3. Go Ice Skating
Dust out your old ice skates and go ice skating! If you’re not a massive fan of the colder months, there might still be a silver lining that the extended sub-zero weather turns lakes into the perfect skating rink. Skate in circles, glide across the lake. It’s a timeless outdoor winter activity! If you have a lake near your home, go with someone experienced, read up on lake skating safety, and watch out for any danger signs. Practice common sense, and always remember to keep off thin ice!
If there aren’t any lakes or you’re not confident skating on a lake, a public skating rink is equally fun!
4. Brighten and Illuminate Your Space
Burning candles on mantelpiece by belchonock, 123RF.
The sun sets at four in the evening and doesn’t rise again until eight in the morning. The sky gets dark way too quickly, and the night feels longer. You can’t control the sun, but we can govern indoor lighting.
Think candles and fairy lights, anything that can add light and warmth to a brutal winter night. Bask in the glow of candle lights and the star-like twinkling of fairy lights. If you have the means to do it, build a fireplace! There’s nothing more soothing than the crackling of a fire and a place to warm yourself.
5. Play In The Snow
Regardless of age, put on the layers, strap on your snow boots and get out there in the snow! When was the last time you made a snow angel? Have you fulfilled your childhood dreams of building the perfect snowman? When was the last time you had a snowball fight? More excitingly, is this your first time experiencing snow? It’s time to let your inner child go wild and have fun!
Of course, do this with caution and don’t go out in a blizzard or dangerously cold temperatures.
6. Make Mulled Wine or Spiced Cider
Mulled wine by lizaelesina, 123RF.
Ahh, mulled wine and spiced cider – classic winter beverages. Not only do they keep you warm and toasty on the insides, but it’s also effortless to whip up.
The mulled wine leaves a trail of woody, zesty scent from the citruses and the distinct smell of cinnamon and cloves. The spiced cider has a rich and comforting scent from sweet apples that can only remind you of the good ol’ days.
Here is a tried and tested recipe for mulled wine and spiced cider.
7. Do Some Knitting
Channel your inner Martha Stewart and get knitting with some yarn and needles! All jokes aside, knitting has become seriously trendy over the years! The relaxing activity was even in the limelight when Olympian Tom Daley was seen knitting in the stands while watching the 2020 Tokyo Olympics event.
So don’t be afraid to try knitting if it interests you. Learn the easier stitch patterns, and you’ll be well on your way to knit blankets and scarves. They’re perfect thoughtful gifts for the winter season. Some knitting projects require skill, but many knitting patterns are beginner-friendly. Start there!
8. Explore the Outdoors
There’s a silence and serenity in winters that is incomparable to other seasons. Even then, some want to experience an even quieter winter in the pin-drop silence of the wilderness – where the sound of snowfall and the breeze rustling the trees sound magical. During winter nights, especially out there in some far-off campsite, the stars shine a little brighter, and it just makes it much cozier to snuggle up with some friends or a partner and bond over a campfire and a pack of s’mores.
Prepare your gear well! Bring your heavyweight down jackets, sleeping bags made for the coldest of temperatures, everything you need to get a fire going, and layers of insulation to keep you warm and toasty. The last thing you want is to become a popsicle.
To A Winter Wonderland
We hope these can help you shift your perspective on how to enjoy and marvel at the beauty of winter. So enjoy the magic of winter while it lasts; spring will come quicker than you think!
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