WINTER BUCKET LIST IDEAS

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Winter isn’t exactly synoymous with a city like Los Angeles, and while we love that this city still does it’s best to get into that “holiday spirit” in 75 degrees, there are actually plenty of fun ways to experience a proper winter mome (moment) – in and out of the city. I’ll always love the simple joys of winter and the holidays like decorating, sipping on seasonal drinks, and dressing up for parties/events (RIP to my social life pre-COVID). But, there’s always more to do than the usual. SO much more in fact, we actually need to make a “winter bucket list” so we can tick each activity off as we go – whether that be day by day, or year by year!

If you’re looking for a little winter activity inspo, cozy up and let’s get to planning!

See the Christmas Lights

Nothing says the holiday season has started more than a Christmas light drive. In Los Angeles, we’re lucky to have a handful of options to enjoy safely from our cars. And lucky for you, I rounded them all up here. Best to wait till after the sun goes down to see the lights in all their glory, comfy in your favorite loungewear. My best advice would be to pack a couple of snacks and a hot mug of your favorite beverage. Blast some Christmas tunes, and make a date night/family night out of it!

Holiday Game Night

With parties out of the question, this would be a great alternative to celebrating with your household of family or roommates. You could even make a tradition out of it by wrapping up a couple of games to keep tucked away and waiting to open them the night of the ‘Annual (insert last name here) Holiday Game Night. Create a meat and cheese board. Or better yet, a Christmas snack board, to keep in the center of the table and a cooler full of beverages nearby and enjoy laughs and fun all night long!

Christmas Movie Marathon

If you’ve seen my IG stories, you know that Tommy and I are on a serious mission to watch all the best Christmas movies available to stream now. You can find my roundup in stories here. But my best advice would be to schedule a slow Saturday or Sunday for an all day, Christmas Movie Marathon. It’s wonderfully family friendly. As holiday movies are always filling us with the warm and cozy feelings that we look forward to all year long. Sit back, grab your coziest blanket. Light a fire in the fireplace (if you have that here in LA lol), and enjoy.

Wintery Cabin Getaway in the Mountains

Imagine this: Waking up the morning you’re set to leave, car is already packed, coffee from you favorite local coffeeshop is waiting for you on your bedside table. And you’re getting ready to hit the road heading north to enjoy some of that white stuff that doesn’t exist where you live. You can listen to all the Christmas music your heart desires and burn through that long list of podcasts you’ve been meaning to listen to. And before long, you’re pulling up to the log cabin of your dreams for a weekend (or week-long) getaway.

Whether you’re the hit the ski slopes or curl up in front of the fire type, there are so many fun activities you can do while taking a little vacation from the norm. Most airbnbs nowadays have taken the necessary precautions for your trip to be made safely. And you’ll be able to return, refreshed from a well deserved break from your bubble.

Christmas Cookie Making Contest

The ultimate Christmas bucket list idea to do with your household. If it’s only you, make a date to zoom with all of your closest friends in the area and drop off your finished cookie to their doorsteps with a card that includes the recipe. This activity is great to do whether it’s morning or nighttime. Just make sure to read your recipe beforehand because some recipes these days call for leaving cookies in the fridge overnight. When finished, enjoy all of your cookies with a nice hot cup of cocoa or cocktail (whatever suits your fancy) and anonymously vote on which one earned top spot. It’s a bonding activity that will leave you with a welcome sugar high and a couple new recipes for some delicious tasting cookies.

Winter Vision Boarding

Making a vision board is never a bad idea and doing a winter vision board is no exception. It can include anything from the items on your Winter Bucket List. Or simply goals you’ve been meaning to achieve in the upcoming months (or years). Grab your favorite stack of magazines and books. Sit down with a good jazz holiday playlist, some scissors, and as always, a drink, and go to town! I’d even go as far as to say go the extra mile and decorate it with some holiday themed decorations like ribbon, snowflakes, and glitter… too far? Never!

House Decorating Night

If you’re a mid-December decorator or simply haven’t gotten around to decorating your home like you’d like, make a night out of it! There are so many free printable templates to make snowflakes or cardboard garland. Pinterest boards full of inspiration. And plenty of places in your home to transform into a wintery, Christmas wonderland. It took me a minute to change my fireplace mantel from Halloween to Christmas. But now that I have, I can safely say it brings me an immense amount of joy every time I walk into the room. I think I should have prefaced this at the beginning. But the things needed for this bucket list idea are: a good drink, a great playlist, a running queue of Christmas movies, some snacks, and most of all, some lovely company.

’Tis the season to go overboard and not get questioned about it. Because no one will be able to come over and judge you anyways. Happy decorating!

Make a New Holiday Charity Tradition

While it’s easy to get caught up in all the gifts you have to buy, work that needs to get done, and other things piling up on your to-do list, it’s important to remember that there are people out there wondering how they’re going to keep the lights on or put a present under the tree for their little ones. There are some great charities, like Toys for Tots, that collect new toys to be distributed to families in need in order to give children all over the country a chance to experience some Christmas joy.

A great tradition to begin with your family or loved one is to donate what you can (all year round is also encouraged). And take a step outside the stress bubble that the holidays can sometimes create. It brings such a great perspective to your life. And will leave you feeling like you just opened a full round of presents on Christmas morning.

What We Can Do

Pre-covid, we’d be able to do things like ice skating. Horse drawn carriage rides, building a snowman with fake snow. And making snow angels in said fake snow (hey, it’s LA). But this year, it’s about focusing on what we can do. The fact that we can be with our family or have a quarantined Christmas with our significant other. Or zoom those closest to you in one minute or less, this is what we need to focus on. This time of year can be very hard on some of us. So spread as much cheer as you possibly can. And be grateful every day that you survived 2020 and have the holidays to celebrate that fact <3

Have a Winter bucket list idea that I missed? Share it below in the comments! I’m all for starting new traditions and sharing what brings you the most joy during the holiday season.

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