While I have been enjoying the winter season since the beginning of November, the first of December marks the socially acceptable start. The winter months are my absolute favorite time of the year with all of the holiday festivities and cold weather activities. With so many different things to choose, I’ve compiled a basic bucket list for this winter season.
Skiing/Snowboarding
Ever since my friend taught me how to ski at Four Lakes a few years ago, I have loved it. Well, once I got past the faceplant and wipeout stage. Skiing is my absolute favorite thing to do during the winter months whether I’m at a tiny bunny hill or a huge ski resort. This year, NNHS Ski Club has multiple outings planned, including a big holiday to Park City. I’m excited to take part in these trips, ski on the weekends with my friends, and hopefully hit the slopes with my family as well.
Baking Christmas cookies
One of my favorite family traditions is to get together and spend an entire night baking sugar cookies. We use my great grandmother’s recipe that has been handed down through generations of her side of the family, and they are the best cookies I have ever tried. It’s difficult to wait until the holiday to make them, but the wait ensures that they remain special.
Gingerbread Houses
If you are not into cooking or baking, it might be fun to try your hand at decorating gingerbread houses. You don’t have to make anything from scratch – just purchase a starter kit, some candy, and start decorating. It is even more fun to put together a big group and have a competition to see who can make the best house. And is it really a gingerbread house competition if they don’t all end up destroyed (or eaten) at the end?
Watching Christmas movies
Cuddling up with blankets in front of the fireplace to watch the best holiday movies is another wonderful activity. Whether you are with friends or family, there are so many different classics to choose from. Home Alone, Christmas Story, Elf, and Christmas Vacation are some of the Sherman family favorites. It is very infrequently that a Christmas movie will not be blasting through my house during the holiday season. There are so many to watch and not a lot of time to do so.
Ice Skating
Whether you are an expert figure skater or have never stepped foot on an ice rink, ice skating is a fun activity for everyone. There is nothing funnier than watching your friends wipe out on the slick ice, dragging down the rest of the group with them. Bonus points if you are able to get a hilarious picture to use as blackmail. If you are fancy you could even try lacing up your skates on a frozen lake, though there might not be a ton of opportunities for this in Naperville.
Sports
The cold weather does not affect the many different sports that are available to watch on TV. The hockey season, my personal favorite, is just getting started. Whether you’re rooting for Connor Bedard and the Blackhawks or a different NHL team, any hockey game is fun to watch. And if hockey isn’t for you, there is also snowboarding, skiing, and even football.
Winter Markets
Another fun outing during the holiday season is to visit a winter market. The Christkindlmarket is the closest one to Naperville, and it is pretty every year. There are tons of different stands with vendors selling ornaments, Christmas decorations, food, gifts, and more. Grab a group of friends, some hot chocolate, and warm clothes, and have fun exploring the shops.
Decorate or Wrap Presents
What better way is there to get ready for the holidays than decorating? Whether you are hanging ornaments on a Christmas tree, putting up stockings, or buying more decorations, you have to experience some holiday spirit. I also find wrapping presents extremely fun yet relaxing. Just blast some festive music and start measuring the amount of paper you will need.
Have a Snowball Fight
This item is last on my list because although snowball fights are awesome, my brother smacked me in the face with an ice ball last year. I am slightly less excited for the snowball fights this year but will definitely get revenge. The best part is making teams, building forts, and stockpiling obnoxious amounts of snowballs.
Overall, no matter what you prefer, there are winter activities for you. Whether you stay inside your house to bake or decorate gingerbread houses or decide to pick up a new hobby like skiing or snowboarding, you should find something fun to do this winter!
What a great list o have. A Winter Bucket list. I hope you get to all them this season. Skiing is a great activity. I use to do quite often when I was younger. Not so much now. I have enjoyed reading your blogs this semester.
Kate, I really enjoyed reading your opinions over your classes, especially Calculus BC. I myself had the predicament of whether or not to take Calculus BC, and I ended up not taking it. I feel like my choice seemed like the right choice because of my schedule, since I chose to take AP Chemistry and AP Biology at the same time. I always hear people complaining about the homework quizzes, tests, and just the overall content which makes me glad I didn’t take Calc BC, but at the same time, I feel like I’m not pushing myself enough. I also agree with you about AP Biology, a lot of the course is over your ability to self learn. I think that the class is good to prepare you for a college level course since you have to learn most of the content yourself. Overall, I really enjoyed reading your post and I totally agree with the classes you wish were a thing, especially the cake decorating class and cosmetology class.