I love the beginning of Winter. The holiday season, the new year, the cozy nights, all the hygge. Come mid-February, I’m ready for Spring. I think that’s normal for most people, but they might only make it to Mid-January.

Spend New Years in the woods – Last year, we spent NY weekend in Woodstock and it was the greatest decision. New York City is on many bucket lists for a place to spend NYE, but it sounds like absolute hell for me. People pee in buckets and stand in a tiny area for hours. Drunk people act crazy leaving bars and riding the train. All those things are not my favorite. Crackling fires, glasses of wine, puzzles, hiking, tiny gift shops and nature – those are the best way to ring in the new year. This year we are adding 2 new adults, 1 new baby and 1 new dog to our group (none of those belong to our family.)


Sugar Detox – We are going to cut out sugar for a few weeks. I have found myself eating more donuts, chocolate and cookies lately and it’s not a habit I want to get into. We are going to take a break from it. There is so much sugar eating this time of year, so I’m excited to have a reset.

Finish my blanket – I started knitting a blanket for our couch. It’s thick and wool and wonderful, but it takes a lot of time.

Get out on skis – We had no snow in the northeast last year and my poor skis never touched the ground. I’m determined to make that happen this year multiple times. I love mountains in the winter time.

Make weekly library runs – I did not hit my reading goal this year (unless I quickly read 11 books in the next nine days.) I would like to take advantage of the colder weather to curl up on the couch and read more often, plus the library is close and free. It’s my favorite.

Outdoor adventure – I know this seems vague, but every year, we seem to find something cool to do outside. One year, we went to a bar inside an Igloo. Other years, we’ve found winter carnivals with outdoor activities. We just want to stay on the hunt for something outside.

Have a movie marathon – In the past, we’ve done Harry Potter and Star Wars. I would consider redoing one of those or possibly getting a little more creative – any ideas would be welcome!

Ice Skating – We both grew up playing hockey and we love going to watch hockey. BUT, NYC makes it extremely annoying to go skating. You have to pay everywhere you go and it’s always busy. I’m not letting that stop me this year, I’m putting the skates on somewhere and making it happen.

I’m sure I could make this list super long, but let’s see if I’m able to actually check all of these off the list. If I had to add one more, it would be a warm weather beach weekend sometime in the late Feb/early March time frame – mostly so I could use my flamingo floatie again.

Cheers to embracing Hygge, beautiful sunrises, snow and the cold temps.