For most of us, winter is when the temperatures drop. We begin to layer. There is hot cocoa and pumpkin spice. Crockpot meals and baking. Winter is a time when New England turns especially beautiful. There is just one small problem. Winter is cold. Seriously it’s cold. The outside temperature is currently 19oF. And, the worst part, it is still early in the season so the temps will continue to drop.
For those who enjoy playing in the beautiful outdoors, get outside and have some fun. Remember to wear layers, lots of layers. I expect you to look like those boys in the Christmas Story. For those of us who are fair weather fans, I have a few suggestions below on how to enjoy the cold winter days indoors.
#1. Baking (This is my favorite option)
Baking warms the house, smells great, and often taste delicious. Cookies and cupcakes are a great go-to option for baking. They are typically easy and something the kids can help with. What do you bake on cold winter days?
#2. Movie marathon
When it is snowy and the roads are slick with black ice, school is often cancelled. On these days, grab a blanket and cozy up on the couch. If you happened to bake those cookies, grab those too. If you haven’t gotten around to the cookies then popcorn will do just fine. Choosing the movie can be tricky. Two potential solutions – 1.) everyone picks their favorite movie and turns are taken. Or 2.) movie options are chosen and those with the highest votes win. However, you choose, I guarantee a movie, popcorn, and hot chocolate day will be a success.
# 3 Table-top games
Whatever games you have in the house will work – cards, board games, spoons, etc. If you are planning ahead, there are SO many options. A few that you might not have heard of but I think are fun include: Settlers of Catan, Family Business, and Munchkin. Check them out and let me know what you think.
#4 Puzzles
I know what you are thinking. Puzzles are for grannies. I’d like to challenge that puzzles are for everyone and they are especially fun when done together. I remember one really cold ice storm when I was a young girl. Most of the area was without power. But my grandparents house had power. School was closed and we got to hunker down at my grandparents’ house for days. The house turned into one big blanket fort.
During this storm my grandmother and I sat round the card table and put together a puzzle. At some point, my gram pulled out a box of chocolates and we shared that box while doing our puzzle. It was a great time. It was a memory that my gram would often remind me of and I still cherish today. Puzzles come in lots of sizes, shapes, and pictures. Find one you like and give it a try.
#5 Turn the Smart TV into an exercise or dance class
One of the things that I really dislike about cold winter days is that it is hard to get outdoors to exercise. The sidewalks and parks are often closed or are layered in snow. While I do go to the gym, there are days when it is too difficult to leave the house. I’ve recently learned I can find hundreds, probably thousands, of classes on YouTube. My TV allows me to run that app so all of those classes are available on my big screen. Now, if you are going to try this suggestion, try not to take it too seriously. Messing up and looking funny is part of the fun.
#6 Make a traditional meal
Occasionally I like to try my hand a trying something different for dinner. For example, I recently made some delicious cream cheese rangoons, marinated pork tenderloin, and homemade fried rice. It was delicious! During the cold winter days, making an authentic dinner could be a fun change. There are so many options to choose from – Italian, Chinese, Mexican, Indian, German, American, …the list goes on. If you dare to let others cook in your kitchen (I’m not a big fan of this option 😉), it could be fun to have the whole family participate. Maybe everyone has to research and prepare a dish of the chosen theme. This could be a great way to make memories and try something new and hopefully delicious.
For some of us, winter can be long. I hope this list of suggestions helps make the cold days indoors more enjoyable.
