Tips to enjoy the winter

My ideas about Canadian winter

It’s our third winter in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. When anyone asked me how I find Canadian winter, the following words came to my mind:

• Brutal
• Cold
• Long
• Dark
• Depressing

It is a fact that summer here is exotic but short and winter is dark and long. Unlike Pakistan, the Canadian change of weather is visibly obvious. In summer, the trees are lush green and in winter, they’re all brown.

Typical winter mood

Even though snowfall looks gorgeous, on most days of winter, it is natural for a person to feel low as it’s not always pretty. The left-over snow and slippery ice can paint a really depressing picture.

BASICALLY…. BLAH and ‘why am i here‘ kind of feels.

My new resolution

This time around, when summer was coming to an end, I found myself desperately wanting to make the most of it as if there was a deadline to having fun! Nova Scotia stays cold for about 8-9 months of the year.

Does that mean I have to compromise all that time and enjoy life in only 3-4 months every year? That’s disturbing! That’s when I decided I will not let myself feel down in the winter from now onward. I started working on a plan to enjoy the winter here as well.

A few days ago, I was out on a walk with my bestie Lindsay and I told her that I am planning to enjoy winter and make the most of it this year. I have decided not to get affected by the cold, gear up properly and enjoy life.

It’s all about changing our mindset. Being negative always has ripple effects. If we think its too cold, then we avoid going out, we feel depressed, gain weight and develop body aches. Staying active requires us to make an effort. It’s always worth it once you make the effort to go out even if you have to wear 6 layers.

Lindsay said she is also really passionate about making the most of Canadian winter and suggested that we both should make lists of how to make it fun. In this article, I’m sharing my lists with you in the hope that they may give you some ideas too.

During our discussion, she told me about a word that has now become my latest obsession. Curious to know? Let me tell you about it.

What is Hygge

Its definition is: ‘a quality of coziness and comfortable conviviality that engenders a feeling of contentment or well-being‘ (regarded as a defining characteristic of Danish culture). It is pronounced as hyoo·guh. Here is how you say it. The word originated in Danish and Norwegian.

When I heard about this word, I was so touched by it that I instantly borrowed an audiobook from the library and finished it in 2 days. Now I just finished reading another beautiful one on the subject. Love the whole concept and even listening to it was so relaxing and comforting.

Hygge and our winter mood

I would highly recommend studying this concept if you want to enjoy the coziness of winter too. Its really fascinating to learn more about this concept as you will get more and more ideas on how you can also implement it to make the most of cozy togetherness at home in winter esp with Covid19 this year.

20 Ideas to hygge this winter

Things to do in winter

I’ve come up with this list that is getting me excited about winter. This will work for you if you live anywhere in the world. Im also linking my next article which contains list of things to do in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

• Read/Play games.
• Light up candles.
• Enjoy warm coffee. Here’s my recipe.
• Read a book.
• Decorate your home with fairy lights, picture walls. Here are my ideas to make your place more charming.
• Bake cookies.
• Attend online events (library events, webinars etc).
• Deep clean every part of home slowly & get rid of everything that’s not being used.
• Go out for walks regularly after wrapping yourself properly.
• Afternoon painting.
• Cook something exciting.
• Ice skating.
• Cozy pub & live music.
• Visit a Suana/hot tub/spa visit.
• Book a full body massage. (During Covid, spouses can take turns)
• Make a snowman.
• Complete scrapbooking journals (for me its Digby holiday + pregnancy & baby journal. What is your latest scrapbooking project?). See my scrapbooks for inspiration.
• Attend girls meet-ups.
• Enjoy a girls Dance party at home.
• Plan a family dance party at home.
• Change setting & decorate the living area at home.
• Make coffee at home & take it for drives.
• Bake blueberry muffins.
• Enjoy hot gooey chocolate brownies with vanilla icecream.
• Complete your netflix seasons. For me, theyre: Schitz Creek, Anne with an E, When calls the heart, Greys Anatomy.
• Walk in the snow.
• Movie nights in cozy blankets with loved ones.

Changes in plan

Life is unpredictable. Not everything goes according to what we plan. Some of the above may not be able to be done in 2020 due to lockdowns all over the world.

However, a part of my new winter resolutions is that I’m not going to think of why I can’t do it but think of what I can do instead. I know it’s easier said than done; sometimes these restrictions really come in our way but we can either sulk about it or do what is possible for our sanity. We’re all in this together and we can and will survive. Let’s make the most of this time now.

In case you missed my other important article on this topic, please see it below:

Other related posts

List of Things to do During Covid-19

https://www.nadiyanajib.com/things-to-do-in-halifax/

How To Enjoy Winter – 20 Ideas For Fun With No Sun

Let’s talk

Basically, the whole point of this article is for you to figure out what’ll make you happy this winter and remember to do more of what you love.

• Did you find anything inspiring in this article? What are your plans for the winter?
• How do you keep your sanity in the dark gloomy months of winter?
• When are you making your list?