My Winter Bucket List

Every season, I make a list of things I want to do. And in order to give my daily life some variety I have a sort of template that I follow each season to help me come up with a myriad of ideas. This gives me a well-rounded approach to life and helps me find joy everyday regardless of the weather or my current phase of life.

We all have things we want to do before we die, but many of us are not yet ready to pursue those dreams because of where we are in life right now. Some of us are working through school or saving up for a house or a life-changing pursuit. Some of us want to travel the world with someone we love, but we are currently single (Don't let that stop you!). Some of us are new parents, or we have a lot of kids and that makes it difficult to reach many of our goals.

The truth is, we all have little things we would like to do that fit our current lifestyles. Seasonal bucket lists inspire us to live life to the fullest no matter what stage of life we are living at the moment. So, of course, hang on to those lifelong goals, and work towards them whenever you are able. But in the meantime, you can still have fun and go on adventures with your short term bucket lists.

This is my Winter 2020/2021 Bucket List! It is designed to cater to my current lifestyle as a young mom during a pandemic. I will be sharing a new list with you every season. I hope these ideas inspire you to make your own seasonal list, and please share it with us in the comment section at the end of this post!

Check out my spring, summer, and autumn bucket lists too!

This post may contain affiliate links which means I may receive a commission if you make a purchase using these links at no extra cost to you. All opinions expressed in this article are my own.

Before I get right to my winter list, here is my loose template for making new bucket lists every season:

• Fun Things to Do
• Food/Flavors
• Treats
• Beverages
• Walk/Bike ride
• Outdoor Activities
• Clothes
• Reading
• Relaxation Space
• Bath/Spa day
• Create: flowers, painting, drawing, craft
• Holiday Activities
• Movies
• Practice Daily Gratitude

Now, this is not a "To Do" list and I don't expect to be able to do everything on the list. But I do my best to keep my seasonal dreams realistic and inspiring at the same time.

FUN
• Order takeout lobster bisque from Zupas ✓
• Game night at home
• Mario Kart night ✓

FOOD
• Orange ✓
• Mandarin orange ✓
• Pistachio ✓
• Cashews ✓
• Hazelnut ✓
• Cranberry ✓
• Pomegranate ✓
• Sweet potato ✓
• Parsnips
• Dates ✓
• Chicken and white wine stew
• Braised short ribs
• Creamy potato soup ✓
• Curry ✓
• Kimchi jigae
• Tteok manduguk ✓
• Winter seasonal green salad ✓
• Red smoothie made with blood orange, pomegranate juice, cranberry juice, raspberries, etc. ✓
• Make soup once a week! ✓
• Breakfast sweet potato bowls
• Cranberry, orange oatmeal ✓
• Hazlenut, chocolate, banana oatmeal ✓
• Hazelnut soup
• "Fancy" ramen ✓

TREATS
• Sugar plum crisp ✓
• Orange cranberry sugar cookies ✓
• Nutella on everything! ✓✓✓✓✓✓✓✓
• Clementine cake ✓✓
• Candied nuts
• Russian tea cakes
• Peanut butter cookies with Nutella ✓

• Linzer cookies

BEVERAGES
• Wassail ✓
• Cinnamon and chili hot chocolate ✓
• Crio Bru ✓✓✓✓✓✓✓✓✓✓✓✓✓
• Raspberry hot chocolate ✓
• Peppermint hot chocolate ✓
• Hazelnut hot chocolate ✓
• Caramel Crio Bru ✓

• Glögg ✓
• Peppermint tea

OUTDOOR ACTIVITES
• Build a snowman ✓
• Collect pine cones ✓
• Make ice lanterns
• Frozen bubbles
• Snowmobiling
• Sledding/tubing ✓
• Walk among Christmas lights ✓✓✓✓
• Outdoor ice skating
• Snowshoeing ✓
• Hang up a bird feeder
• Snowboarding ✓
• Watch the sunrise ✓
• Hike to a frozen waterfall ✓

• On a walk or bike ride, look for evergreen trees, hoarfrost, detailed snowflakes, snow on everything, red berries on certain trees, the few birds that stick around all winter, bird nests you can't see when there are leaves in the trees ✓✓✓✓✓✓

CLOTHES
• Arrange my closet so seasonal clothes are grouped together ✓
• Colors: deep red, dark green, navy, gold, mustard, soft gray, white, chambray blue ✓
• Blanket scarfs, super soft sweaters, soft leggings, beanies, festive socks, moccasin slippers ✓
• Comfortable boots ✓
• Plan ahead and put together outfits I can get excited about throughout winter ✓
• Sparkly top ✓
• Black tights with skirts
• Dark green, wool coat ✓
• Aquamarine studs ✓

BOOKS
• Snow Queen and Other Winter Tales ✓
• A Christmas Carol ✓
• Odd and the Frost Giants ✓
• The Nutcracker ✓
• Into Thin Air ✓
• Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage ✓

• Find beautiful poems about winter ✓

SPACE TO RELAX
• Reading nook by the fireplace with knit blankets, soft pillows, and a candle that smells like cookies or cake! ✓
• Sunny spot by the window in the morning ✓✓✓✓✓

BATH/SPA DAY
• Orange and cranberry scented bath with epsoms salts ✓✓✓
• Peppermint bubble bath, with peppermint tea in the bath ✓
• Winter woods scented bath with essential oils (like pine, sandalwood, cypress, cedar, Siberian fir)

CREATE
• Make a wreath with fresh materials
• Make an ice vase to put flowers in
• Watercolor a winter landscape
• Cut out paper snowflakes ✓
• Make ornaments out of dehydrated orange slices and pinecones ✓
• Make a salt dough ornament of my toddler's hand ✓

HOLIDAYS
• Decorate for the holidays ✓
• Buy and decorate a real Christmas tree
• Buy poinsettias to give to neighbors
• Put up Christmas lights ✓
• Read by the Christmas tree ✓
• Bake Christmas cookies ✓
• Wrap presents while listening to Christmas music ✓
• Sparklers, sparkling cider, sparkly clothes for New Year's ✓
• Make NYE charcuterie board ✓
• Read memories from the year on New Year's Eve
• Review your annual goals and celebrate accomplishments ✓
• Set goals for the coming year ✓
• Make Galentine cards for my friends
• Decorate for Valentine's Day ✓
• Treat myself to a Galentine spa day ✓
• Celebrate Lunar New Year ✓

MOVIES
• While You Were Sleeping ✓
• It's a Wonderful Life ✓
• A Christmas Story
• The Grinch (2018) ✓
• Disney's Noelle ✓
• The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty ✓
• National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation
• Arthur Christmas
• Disney's Prep & Landing ✓
• Frozen ✓
• Frozen 2 ✓
• Die Hard ✓
• Home Alone ✓

GRATITUDE
• Every season I make a space in my journal or create a note in my phone where I write down the things I am grateful for that season as they happen and this simple action brings me such happiness. It makes me forget about all the things I didn’t get to do and turns my focus on the simple, everyday joys.

I hope you enjoyed this list and that it inspires you to create your own! Whatever your lifestyle, you can make the most of this beautiful winter!