Top 5 Coziest Activities You Can Enjoy In Your Home This Winter
Fall and winter are beautiful, treasured, and supremely cozy seasons here in Iowa. Who doesn’t love scarf weather and steaming cups of spiced apple cider? And the fall foliage lining the streets and filling backyards brings thrills of intense joy to so many hearts! And of course, the first flurries of the winter make us all excited - who doesn’t hope for a white winter to make weathering the cold temperatures worth it!
The colder weather of fall and especially winter might mean that you have to spend extra time indoors. But that is actually something to look forward to when you have some supremely cozy and enjoyable activities to look forward to this year!
Would you like to know some of our favorite cozy activities that help make this cold season one of our absolute favorites? Well, here you go!
1. Brisk Fall Walks Followed by Hot Apple Cider
There is nothing as invigorating as a brisk fall walk! The chilly are whooshes past you and gives you a ruddy complexion. You get to feast your eyes upon gorgeous fall colors in the trees (and even on the ground below you as you walk over the carpet of fallen leaves that are always everywhere). The cold air you breathe into your lungs wakes up all your nerve endings and makes your body feel alive! And once you get home from your walk there is nothing as supremely cozy as wrapping your hands around a warm and aromatic cup of cider. At that moment you truly feel the essence of fall coziness.
2. Fondue in Your New Kitchen
As the frigid temperatures of winter set in and the hours of daylight decrease, you crave extra coziness, especially in the evening! This is when you want to light a fire in your fireplace (or turn your gas logs on)! Not only does a fire help you bring necessary heat into your home, but the soothing, flickering light brings a sense of tranquility to your home as well.
To truly give you the sense that you are enjoying a vacation at a ski lodge, indulge in a decadent and warm dinner by the fire. Fondu is the perfect dish for this. The cheese is rich and warm, and the little cubes of bread satisfy your winter craving for carbs.
Normally when you think of a cozy winter fire you think of the sweet crackle of a wood-burning fireplace. But what kind of fireplace should you really put into your custom, luxury home here in Iowa? After all, there are wood-burning fireplaces AND gas fireplaces. So which is better? Well, it really depends on what you want! A wood-burning fireplace puts out more heat than a gas fireplace (though those still put out heat!). And it has that brilliant crackle that we all love from a fireplace. Plus, depending on the price of wood, it can be extremely economical. And, everyone loves a wood fire. But, a gas fireplace is extremely easy to light. (Who wouldn’t love to flip a switch to turn on their fire and flip a switch to turn it off?) It also puts out quite a bit of heat still. And you never have to run out into the cold to collect more firewood!
3. Mulled Wine by a Roaring Fire
Even getting out of the car to come inside on a frigidly cold day as you return from work or the grocery story can make you feel frozen to the bone. The coziest way to warm up and relax at the end of a day out at work or with kids is to create a warm and cozy drink and then snuggle down with it by a roaring fire.
4. Family Movie Night
Nothing is as cozy for the whole family as snuggling up under blankets with the lights turned off in front of a big screen. Your whole family enjoying a shared experience is definitely bond building. And fun! This is why a family movie night is one of our favorite cozy winter experiences. Plus, a movie night is always a great way to just unwind and forget about any stress you might have on your plate, at least for a couple of hours.
5. A Living Room Campout
Now, this is a cozy, exciting, and FUN activity, especially for kids! All you have to do is clear the coffee table out of the living room and pile it full of blankets, pillows, and sleeping bags. Then, light up a fire in your beautiful fireplace and turn off all the lights! Now bust out the marshmallows and graham crackers (and of course the chocolate!). Because it’s time to make s’mores and tell stories around the fire! And then, since it’s indoor camping, put on a movie! Enjoy snuggling up with your kids! Stay up late! Laugh a lot. And then enjoy just falling asleep one by one as the fire dies out in front of you.
Fall and winter are cold and dark seasons. But they can be supremely cozy! In fact, they can be your favorite seasons of the year when you add in all five of these cozy activities!
Now it’s time for you to share this post with all your friends who want a little more cozy in their life this season!