Fun Stuff To Do During the Winter
Winter can be dull. Winter can be boring. No one wants to do anything. Everyone suffers from SAD!!!! (Seasonal Affective Disorder for all of you non-psycho types.) Well in the words of Cher in Moonstruck, "SNAP OUT OF IT!"
Winter does not have to be any of the above! There is so much to do, you just gotta get off your lazy winterized ass and do it! You need to bundle up and get out, or do something fun in the warmth of your own home. With a little creativity, you can enjoy yourself and for a short time, forget that Old Man Winter is knocking at your door!
I used to plan drink nights out with friends when I lived in Philly. I would plan several in January and February just to get out of the house and forget about winter. They were so much fun. I had a steady group of about 10 or so friends come out once every 3-4 weeks for dinner and drinks at different hot spots in the city. It was the Ritz-Carlton crowd I worked with along with some other close friends of mine. People brought people, new friendships were born, it was fun. Unfortunately when I moved further and further into the 'burbs, I didn't get together as often. It's these days where I really do value those "reunions" in Philly. I have a lunch planned in Philly this weekend with 5 close friends from the hotel and I am so looking forward to it!
Here is a list of some fun things in the winter time to beat the wintertime doldrums! Some of them involve money, others do not. Some involve friends, and some do not! It's all about having fun!
1. Have lunch with some of your best friends. Do appetizers at one restaurant, entrees at another, then dessert and coffee at another!
2. Shop with friends at several different stores for a perfect outfit for a night out in the future. Pick one store for shoes, another for the dress/outfit, and another for accessories. Then have drinks and pick which night you will show off your fabulous new outfit.
3. Forget the museums, shop the day away at all the different museum gift shops in your city. (This is a GREAT idea my sister Sheryl came up with and actually had a blast doing up in NYC!)
4. Have drinks and then movies! It makes the movie so much more enjoyable (Even if it sucks!)
5. Rent old movies, bad movies, sappy romantic movies, action flicks, or whatever floats your boat! Spend a day and watch a at least two or three. Make popcorn, fun drinks, and just eat your way through the afternoon.
6. Bundle up & go on a small hike in a nearby park or nature preserve. Bring hot chocolate!
7. Do a midnight hike in the woods under a full moon. Sounds crazy, right? I did this and it was so quiet and you could see everything. So cool! (Just bring a flashlight along so you don't stray off the trail!)
8. Ski, snow tube, or snowboard the afternoon away at a nearby ski lodge and then enjoy dinner at their restaurant (try Bear Creek Mountain Resort, in Macungie, PA).
9. Revisit your childhood and buy a pair of goldfish! Name them ridiculous names like Romeo and Juliet, Matisse and Picasso, Laverne and Shirley, or Salt and Pepper.
10. Bundle up for an afternoon stroll on the boardwalk or beach! And if you are in Atlantic City, play those penny slots!
11. Get active and fit! Try a winter sport you have never tried such as ice skating, skiing, or even stay indoors and go roller skating!
12. Visit a great bookstore with a friend, splurge on a trashy novel, then read the first chapter over a hot steamy cappuccino in your favorite coffee house.
13. Buy a bird feeder and feed the poor birds which didn’t fly south for the winter. If you have bird houses, fill them with some wood chips or dry grass to make a winter overnight shelter for our feathered friends.
14. Buy plants or try your luck at a bonsai tree and bring nature indoors.
15. Go thrift store shopping in your nearby city. Hit Salvation Army, Goodwill, Green Street, and Philadelphia Aids Thrift if you are in Philly!
16. Go through your old photographs and pick out one of you and a friend or your favorite pet and frame it.
17. Buy flannel sheets & a new pillow & snuggle for a cold winters night!
18. Who says you have to only bake during the holidays! Bake your favorite cookies and then spoil dinner by munching on them hot out of the oven with hot chocolate or hot apple cider.
19. Go for high tea one afternoon at your favorite luxury hotel … or put together a high tea afternoon at your house for you and some friends. Include several types of tea, finger sandwiches, scones, and pastries!
20. Have a sports afternoon for you and your best buds. Watch any number of sports games on TV during the winter: football, basketball, hockey, winter sports, or the X- Games! Grab some microbrew that you have always wanted to try, make chili, and scream at the TV!
Whatever you do, make the best of winter. Don't hibernate! No one likes a shut-in ... except other shut-ins. As Victor Hugo said, "Winter is on my head, but eternal spring is in my heart."
Let eternal spring be in your heart, even during winter.
Winter does not have to be any of the above! There is so much to do, you just gotta get off your lazy winterized ass and do it! You need to bundle up and get out, or do something fun in the warmth of your own home. With a little creativity, you can enjoy yourself and for a short time, forget that Old Man Winter is knocking at your door!
I used to plan drink nights out with friends when I lived in Philly. I would plan several in January and February just to get out of the house and forget about winter. They were so much fun. I had a steady group of about 10 or so friends come out once every 3-4 weeks for dinner and drinks at different hot spots in the city. It was the Ritz-Carlton crowd I worked with along with some other close friends of mine. People brought people, new friendships were born, it was fun. Unfortunately when I moved further and further into the 'burbs, I didn't get together as often. It's these days where I really do value those "reunions" in Philly. I have a lunch planned in Philly this weekend with 5 close friends from the hotel and I am so looking forward to it!
Here is a list of some fun things in the winter time to beat the wintertime doldrums! Some of them involve money, others do not. Some involve friends, and some do not! It's all about having fun!
1. Have lunch with some of your best friends. Do appetizers at one restaurant, entrees at another, then dessert and coffee at another!
2. Shop with friends at several different stores for a perfect outfit for a night out in the future. Pick one store for shoes, another for the dress/outfit, and another for accessories. Then have drinks and pick which night you will show off your fabulous new outfit.
3. Forget the museums, shop the day away at all the different museum gift shops in your city. (This is a GREAT idea my sister Sheryl came up with and actually had a blast doing up in NYC!)
4. Have drinks and then movies! It makes the movie so much more enjoyable (Even if it sucks!)
5. Rent old movies, bad movies, sappy romantic movies, action flicks, or whatever floats your boat! Spend a day and watch a at least two or three. Make popcorn, fun drinks, and just eat your way through the afternoon.
6. Bundle up & go on a small hike in a nearby park or nature preserve. Bring hot chocolate!
7. Do a midnight hike in the woods under a full moon. Sounds crazy, right? I did this and it was so quiet and you could see everything. So cool! (Just bring a flashlight along so you don't stray off the trail!)
8. Ski, snow tube, or snowboard the afternoon away at a nearby ski lodge and then enjoy dinner at their restaurant (try Bear Creek Mountain Resort, in Macungie, PA).
9. Revisit your childhood and buy a pair of goldfish! Name them ridiculous names like Romeo and Juliet, Matisse and Picasso, Laverne and Shirley, or Salt and Pepper.
10. Bundle up for an afternoon stroll on the boardwalk or beach! And if you are in Atlantic City, play those penny slots!
11. Get active and fit! Try a winter sport you have never tried such as ice skating, skiing, or even stay indoors and go roller skating!
12. Visit a great bookstore with a friend, splurge on a trashy novel, then read the first chapter over a hot steamy cappuccino in your favorite coffee house.
13. Buy a bird feeder and feed the poor birds which didn’t fly south for the winter. If you have bird houses, fill them with some wood chips or dry grass to make a winter overnight shelter for our feathered friends.
14. Buy plants or try your luck at a bonsai tree and bring nature indoors.
15. Go thrift store shopping in your nearby city. Hit Salvation Army, Goodwill, Green Street, and Philadelphia Aids Thrift if you are in Philly!
16. Go through your old photographs and pick out one of you and a friend or your favorite pet and frame it.
17. Buy flannel sheets & a new pillow & snuggle for a cold winters night!
18. Who says you have to only bake during the holidays! Bake your favorite cookies and then spoil dinner by munching on them hot out of the oven with hot chocolate or hot apple cider.
19. Go for high tea one afternoon at your favorite luxury hotel … or put together a high tea afternoon at your house for you and some friends. Include several types of tea, finger sandwiches, scones, and pastries!
20. Have a sports afternoon for you and your best buds. Watch any number of sports games on TV during the winter: football, basketball, hockey, winter sports, or the X- Games! Grab some microbrew that you have always wanted to try, make chili, and scream at the TV!
Whatever you do, make the best of winter. Don't hibernate! No one likes a shut-in ... except other shut-ins. As Victor Hugo said, "Winter is on my head, but eternal spring is in my heart."
Let eternal spring be in your heart, even during winter.
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