It was a rough winter. Colder than usual, snowier than usual. I was okay with it until a couple weeks ago, and then enough was enough.
I'm ready for spring. I don't hate winter, but I'm done with it for now. You can even read my "Hello, Spring!" bucket list here.
As always, at the beginning of each season, I created a "looking ahead" seasonal bucket list for winter.
Now it's time to look back and reflect.
1. Do you want to build a snowman? I do!
I didn't this year. Honestly, I was just too cold most of the time! That doesn't make for good snowman-snow mostly anyway. But I do feel like I missed out on that.
2. Drink apple cider
Heck yeah.
3. Make snow angels
Once! When we went snowshoeing.
4. Go snowshoeing. (I got a pair a few years back and love them!)
Yup! A few times, including once by moonlight.
5. Watch as much hockey as humanly possible. (Go Leafs!)
Definitely. Looking forward to the playoffs, too!
6. Decorate for Christmas. Check out other people's decorations. (I love driving around to see lights in my parents' community between Christmas Eve church service and Christmas Eve time with family.)
I love, love Christmas, and though I decorated a little less than usual, I still decorated and it made me happy.
7. Bake cookies! (Every year I bake chocolate shortbread. It's the house favourite.)
I made a couple of kinds this year, including gingerbread eggnog sandwich cookies, and hosted my now-annual Christmas cookie exchange. And yes, the chocolate shortbread showed up in the house again, of course. :)
8. Drink hot chocolate
So, so much hot chocolate! Butter ripple schnapps sometimes included.
9. Read by the light of the Christmas tree
Yes I did! And candles! :)
10. Spend a day in a fuzzy onesie and slippers.
A day? One single day? Heck no. I spent several. :) Though not really consecutive days. (Including the one I spent reading by the light of the Christmas tree!)
11. Watch holiday movies - all the favourites! (For me, that includes Rudolph, Muppets' Christmas Carol, White Christmas, and A Christmas Story, though quite a few more are on the list too!)
We got all the favourites, and a few more! Love Actually made the list this year, and I showed my JH Film class Miracle on 34th Street as well as the original, animated (and best, in my opinion!) Grinch.
12. Do another puzzle! (This is usually by the Christmas tree at my in-laws'.)
Yup, done on the large coffee table by the light of the Christmas tree. :)
13. Play board games with the family.
Definitely. This is my favourite part of winter, or at least one of them. It's how we spent Boxing Day, and also much of the weekend we were at the Reel Canadian Film Festival. We even got in a few games at the dog sledding weekend we spent with my siblings.
14. Make ridiculously comforting soups.
I think the best ones I make are baked French onion, chicken corn chowder, and tomato pasta. All homemade, all comforting, all delicious (if I do say so myself!)
15. Holiday parties! (That's a Christmas cookie exchange in addition to work parties for both my husband and myself.)
You bet. I love Christmas parties. My work now has an annual ugly sweater themed one, and hubby's is a dress-up dinner and dancing one. Love them all.
16. Reflect on the past year and plan and set goals for the new year.
Yup. I do this right before the new year. From reading and writing goals, to reviewing highlights, professional and personal, I like to think I'm a pretty introspective person, and this really comes out around the new year.
17. Deep clean and go through the house. (I like starting the new year with everything cleaned out and organized.)
Well, this partly got done. Things got a deep clean and partly "gone through", but that's such a constant thing, and it sure didn't all get done. Maybe more during spring cleaning...
18. New Years!
Yup! Brought in with friends and mini champagne glasses.
19. Christmas!
My very favourite holiday!
20. My birthday!
Goodbye, 32. Hello, 33.
21. Hubby's birthday!
Yes, I'm older than him. I reviewed his favourite book, The Hobbit, on his birthday.
22. Star Wars!
Love getting swept up in this! We went to the late-night opening the night before official release day. I even wore Star Wars themed clothes every day of the week leading up to it.
Yes, I'm a nerd.
23. Reel Canadian Film Fest. (This is in January every year, in Fernie, British Columbia)
Yes again. This was one of those board game weekends. :) Bonus - I won a book from this!
24. Dog sledding! (My sister got all her siblings and siblings-in-law gift certificates for this last Christmas, and it's all booked and planned for this January. I'm so excited! It's high on my lifelong bucket list!)
Another board game weekend. I loved the helicopter ride and spending time with my siblings, but I'm not sure if I can express just how much I loved dog sledding. A lot. So, so much.
25. Snuggle up and love the season.
Heck yeah.
What are your feelings on winter? What was your favourite thing about this past winter? I'd be hard-pressed to choose just one thing. Anything from my list (or your own) that stands out?