Do you get the winter blues? While doctors now know that seasonal depression is a real disorder, people have been making the cold more palatable since time immemorial.
The Danish celebrate hygge, a spirit of cozy contentment that comes from living like a hobbit, with comfortable surroundings, good books, the company of family and friends and oodles of yummy food.
What can you do to gently lift your spirits here on this side of the pond?
There’s nothing wrong with taking a few tips from other cultures on how to survive the cold season with a smile.
You can also lift your spirits by getting active — but it doesn’t have to mean hitting the gym. Instead, how about taking advantage of nature?
Do you still need ideas? Here are eight things to do to make your winter sparkle.
1. Get Creative in the Kitchen
Winter is the perfect time to feast. After all, you can always conceal that unbuckled belt under your sweater.
However, you might not need to — home-cooked meals are often lower in calories and far less inflammatory than prepared meals, keeping the weight off without the effort.
Plus, many comfort meals have considerable health benefits. For example, goulash is rich in paprika, a spice made of various peppers that contain potent anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties.
Chicken soup contains an amino acid that helps loosen mucus, and the steam from the broth opens nasal passages, allowing you to clear that gunk out of your head.
Make your meal an occasion when you finish your labor. Pick a fresh floral centerpiece, light candles or even adorn your meal with sparklers to make it restaurant-worthy.
2. Repurpose Those Holiday Lights
Winter is dark. However, you can make your home bright and cheery with a bit of creativity, and the tools you need are right on that tree you intend to plant or put away for next year.
If you don’t use your fireplace out of fear of chimney fires, why not install a nice candelabra and surround it with a pool of holiday lights to make it look like your hearth blazes?
A string of festoons between rooms or over ceiling beams keeps your living areas illuminated without having to flip a switch.
3. Go on a Winter Scavenger Hunt
Here’s a fun way to stir your blood and have fun with your little ones. Why not hold a winter scavenger hunt?
You can even make it educational to keep their schooling going while they’re on break. For example, you might include the following on your list:
- A feather: Have your kiddos guess what bird it came from and whether they stay in the cold or enjoy migrating south for the winter.
- A leaf: What plants continue to grow, even in the cold?
- Something edible: Introduce your kiddos to foraging — what’s still available in your local area after the first snow?
4. Camp on Your Back Porch
Does camping in the winter sound like a frozen nightmare? That’s what makes winter camping close to home so enjoyable.
When your fingers and toes start turning blue, you can head inside your cozy house. Truly hearty sorts might even pitch a tent in the yard and test their ability to withstand the elements like human ancestors did.
However, even early humans had caves — why not camp out on your porch instead?
It’s even better if you have a screened-in version that you line with plexiglass in the fall, creating a miniature greenhouse.
5. Find a Fun Way to Give Back
Want an all-natural way to boost the feel-good neurotransmitters that influence your mood — and ease your winter depression? Consider volunteering!
It raises levels of oxytocin, serotonin and dopamine, brain chemicals that enhance your sense of well-being.
Volunteering also helps bust the blues that come from feeling isolated.
It’s a great way to meet new friends if you recently moved or want to get more involved with others who share your values.
6. Have a Best Snowman Competition
“Do you want to build a snowman?” If you grow weary of hearing your little ones sing the lyrics from Disney’s “Frozen,” why not tucker out those tykes by letting them live them?
When you join in the fun, you generate the feel-good endorphins that improve your overall mood.
If you have three feet of the white stuff in your yard, invite your tots to a best snowman competition.
Get creative with prizes — the winner gets out of dish duty for a week or selects the family dinner.
7. Learn to Ice Skate
Ice skating is a fun way to get moving. If you have a flat patch in your backyard, it’s a snap to create a miniature skating rink on the cheap.
Use repurposed lumber from free pallets from your local hardware store — the only other tools you need are a shovel, rake and hose.
Better yet, pack up the littles and head to your local skating rink.
Take turns showing each other the moves, maybe creating a partner routine or playing some hockey.
8. Dig Into a Good Book
Finally, winter is the perfect season to dig into that novel that’s gathered dust on your nightstand all summer.
Spending time getting cozy with a good book can have considerable benefits.
For example, many people in today’s soundbite-and-social-media society struggle to concentrate on a task for more than a few minutes.
Losing yourself in a novel invites that flow state that improves your ability to focus for longer periods. Of course, you don’t have to read for the perks — do it because you love the story!
How to Make Your Winter Sparkle
Winter doesn’t have to equal the blues. You can make this season your favorite with a little creativity.
The above ideas can make your winter sparkle and help you survive the cold with your sanity intact.
Celebrate hygge while remaining active and keeping a warm smile on your face no matter how low the temperatures dip.