This post doesn’t offer ice skating or throwing yourself down a slope for fun. I mean, I love those ideas, but that isn’t going to be the vibe behind the options I give you today.
Most winter bucket lists are filled with adventures, but I invite you to try a cozier, calmer, and slightly romantic way of experiencing winter. My ideas follow a few rules:
- They need to be free or affordable;
- They need to fit a busy schedule (whether you work or have many little humans to look after);
- They shouldn’t require traveling long distances or too much preparation (if at all);
- They must give you good vibes and become treasured memories to keep in your heart.
If all that sounds like something you wish to be part of, here are my best winter bucket list ideas for the coziest, calmest, and most memorable cold season.
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Things To Do Outdoors This Winter: Bucket List
I am not much of an outdoorsy person, but since I had my child, I’ve started spending more time in nature. At the beginning, I was doing it for my little human, but recently I realized that on the days we didn’t go out, I feel like the day has gone wrong somehow. I started craving small walks, fresh air, and people-watching. So, I just know that during the cold months, when the weather is too gloomy and sad to go on a simple walk, I will miss them.
However, there will be days when spending time outside is possible, and for those days I’ve prepared a list of tiny activities that can fit a busy schedule, with or without a tiny human by your side.
1. Late evening walk with a thermos
All you need is for it to be dark, and in the winter months, that could be as early as 5 pm, so having a short walk around your neighborhood before or after dinner is absolutely possible.
The fresh, crips air that goes into your lungs and comes out in fun clouds will be your motivation to move, while hugging a heavy thermos with a warm beverage in it is going to be your promise of never getting too frosty.
This is the perfect idea for a family walk, or you could do it by yourself, enjoying the unusually quiet streets at that time of the day.
2. Frost hunting
Imagine you are a hunter, and your goal is to catch the very first frosty morning so you can go out on a hunt. What are you after?
Everything and anything that has changed as a result of the frost. Photograph it all: spider webs (they get gorgeous when dusted in white), leaves and late fruit, icy puddles, and whatever else catches your eye.
3. Bus roulette
You might need half a day free for this one, so this idea could easily go on your weekend activities list.
Get on a bus you don’t usually take (or have never been on) and see where its last stop is. Once you get to that last stop, find a bench or a coffee place and sit to enjoy the surroundings for a few minutes or an hour. Go for a brisk walk around if the place is especially nice. Take photos. Make it an event for yourself.
4. Charity shop mystery hunt
If you are anything like me, thrift stores are like treasure chests. Well, this winter bucket list idea takes it a step further. Give yourself a $5 limit and find the weirdest thing in the thrift store to keep as a souvenir of this winter’s cozy bucket list adventures. You can then even wrap it as a gift to yourself for next winter, when you’ll have to find another trinket to mark the season. Yes, this idea could become a seasonal tradition you can keep for years to come.
5. Winter picnic
Don’t worry, you don’t have to freeze your behind in the snow while chewing a frosty sandwich. Nobody wants that. It doesn’t sound fun at all.
In fact, you are going to enjoy that picnic in your car while your the heat is on and the radio plays winter songs (bonus if you choose to listen to oldies from YouTube). You can eat whatever you wish (a sandwich sounds good, though), sip from a thermos with a warm beverage, and enjoy the view. Yes, you are going to move the car to a spot with a view. A nice landscape always makes everything feel better. A book to read afterward is optional.
6. Sunrise or sunset chase
When we talk about chasing the sunset or the sunrise, we always imagine summer, the warmth of the breeze, and maybe a view with the sea somewhere in the picture.
However, winter sunrises and sunsets are just as beautiful and maybe slightly sad because nobody has the time for them. You can find that time. Pick whichever sounds better to you. Then go on a walk to a place nearby that allows you to sit and enjoy it, in peace. Take a few photos, grab a warm drink, and soak it all up.
7. Puddle and mud walk
When was the last time you let your inner child play as much as she wants… in the mud? If you have little humans of your own, invite them along on this muddy walk. Pick the muddiest, wettest place in your neighborhood and let it all out without thinking about laundry. Just have fun. Photos of yourselves afterward are a must, by the way.
8. Photo scavenger hunt
This outdoor winter bucket list idea is very similar to the one about chasing the frost. However, this time you can create a small photo album with quirky winter memories.
Take a photo of everythingt that seems out of the ordinary or could be interpreted that way: a red door on a house, a fun painted car, a dog with a fluffy coat, someone walking through a puddle instead of around it, your boots stepping through crunchy frozen brown leaves, a lonely last leaf on a tree, an unusual cloud, and so on. Your imagination will go wild with this one and you will absolutely love it.
9. Pub with a fireplce
Find a nearby pub that lights their real fireplace every evening, then go there early enough to grab the seat next to it and stay there for an hour or two. You could go with a favorite book or a friend. Make sure to stretch your legs toward the fire, so everyone around you knows how much you’re enjoying it.
Indoor winter bucket list ideas
Now that you have all the brrr-related ideas out of the way, it is time to cozy up in your home and make the most of its warmth and inviting winter glow. The following ideas are perfect to try on any given day. It is all about deciding to have an unusual winter moment.
10. Candlelight-only evening
You can have your evening routine just as usual. The only rule in the house is this: no lights and no screens, only candles.
Imagine you live in the 1800s. Be safe with open flames, but make the most of it. What would you do?
Normal house chores like folding clean laundry in the quiet of the evening will make you think about life differently. Maybe you will have more time to talk to your family members, maybe you will find time to tell your children stories, or maybe you will spend an evening alone with yourself, reading, writing, and reflecting on life.
Whatever the outcome, I can guarantee you that the experience will be different from what you imagine.
11. Pen pal letter
There is a big online community devoted to writing letters to each other. Join them this winter. Find somebody you would never cross paths with and write to each other letters. You could do this all year round, but why not start it in winter? Share your winter experiences, thoughts, and adventures with them. Give them ideas, and ask them to share how they spend the short winter days and long winter evenings.
12. Learn one absurd skill
There must be a skill out there you would love to learn that has zero benefits to your life, except making you a person with a fun fact: origami, juggling, a card trick, balancing a spinning ball on one finger, book page folding, or anything else. Whatever that weird and absurd skill that is, winter is the perfect time to get obsessed with it.
13. Hot chocolate tasting week
Every day of the week, prepare a different version of hot chocolate. You can find hundreds of recipes online, so just go with the ones that spark your curiosity. Here are a few options: chocolate orange, peppermint hot chocolate, salted caramel, thick Italian-style hot chocolate, malted hot chocolate, and more. I guarantee you that one of those will become your new favorite winter drink and it all started with a small pinch of curiosity.
14. Read one book in one day
This is self-explanatory, really. If you are a reader, then your TBR pile is overflowing. Pick a book you would absolutely be able to read in one day, cozy up with a blanket and snakcs, then start that book and don’t move away from the cozy corner until you have read it. Your eyes might be a bit red by the end of the day, but it will be a day spent well and you will now have one less book to worry about in your TBR pile.
15. Indoor treasure hunt
Involve your family in this one. Hide things for each other, write a list with clues about them, and swap the lists. Whoever finds all the items first wins something: a treat, a beverage or a trophy made from foil.
16. Comfort show rewatch
You must have a favorite comfort show to rewatch. Gilmore Girls, One Tree Hill, The Vampire Diaries, Supernatural, Buffy, and Stranger Things are just a few that come to my mind without even trying to think about it. Whatever your favorite comfort show is, start it this winter, but limit yourself to one episode per night. It’s hard, I know, but imagine… actually you know what? Bindge-watch it if you can and enjoy every second of it.
Final Thoughts
Those were my favorite cozy, affordable, and slightly romantic bucket list ideas for the cold months of the year. Which ones did you like the most, and which ones are definitely going on your personal bucket list? Don’t forget to pick at least one outdoor idea, even if going out doesn’t seem like the right thing to do (it still is) this winter.
If you are eager for more cozy things to do, here are a few indoor hobbies you could start this season.
Blogger, dreamer, procrastinator, and lover of everything soul-touching. My mission is to make you laugh, provoke your thoughts, light up your day and inspire you to fall in love with life and yourself.
