Stay Warm and Un-Bored this January with Creative Activities for Indoors

Trying to avoid the cold and in-hibernation mode this winter? Here are some creative ideas to ignite you like a candle and keep you ignited like the fire you stay cozy by.

Have a cook-athon and/or bake-athon with a panel of judges to taste test, critique, and vote on the winner(s). Don’t be too critical and consider offering prizes for 1st-, 2nd-, and 3rd-place winners. Afterward, everyone enjoys the treats.
Practice the art of repurposing your wardrobe. Scout out some items from your closet or drawers and get creative. Turn a scarf into a top, turn leggings into sleeves, and crop and embellish an old tee.
Set up an easel next to a window and paint what you see outside.
Catch some pics and model with a friend in a photoshoot, complete with DIY makeup, hair, and wardrobe styling.
Mix up some spice combinations, such as a garden herb mix with rosemary, thyme, oregano, parsley, and dill, or try a Southwestern mix with cayenne for kick, cumin, paprika, and chili. Or how about a winter masala mulling spices mix, with cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, cardamom, star anise, and ginger?
Get fermenting and protect your immune system with probiotics you ferment yourself. Sauerkraut, kimchi, kefir, and kombucha will make you feel better from the inside out.
Be your own bartender and serve cocktails or virgin mocktails to all ages in the household.
Think outside the box at mealtime and try a role reversal, having breakfast for dinner and a dinner-like meal for breakfast.
Toast marshmallows over candles and make s’mores, as you tell stories, both true and fictional. Have someone record the audio or write down the stories to document candlelight memory-making.
Enjoy some art therapy with friends and family, then feature everyone’s artwork in a home gallery. You can sell, trade, or give your art away, so everyone benefits.
Learn the art of paper folding (Japanese origami) and napkin folding.
Read books or e-books aloud as you camp out in the living room under a canopy of blankets propped up over chairs.
Have a food or pillow fight, but remember it might get plenty messy, so be prepared to get the clean-up crew to work afterwards.
“Dougie in your snuggie,” rocking it out in a PJ (pajama) party, blasting your fav winter playlist.
Indulge in a movie marathon—it’s your own film festival—or just enjoy a meal with a movie or TV show.
Create a vision board, whether magazine cut-outs glued to paper, or poster board, or a virtual board, such as on Pinterest. Represent your life mission, vision, values, goals, and dreams.
Of all the things on this list, perhaps one of the most important is figuratively putting the puzzle pieces of your life together. They may not fit together perfectly at first, but keep trying and aim high, but not for perfection. The start of this new year is an ideal time to reconfigure the direction of your life by doing a reassess, however simple or complicated. You’re not in life alone, so consort with and console each other. Be each other’s life coaches and offer honest feedback and advice. And, sometimes it helps to have an accountability partner to help stay on track.
Other ways to stay warm ‘n cozy? Take a hot bath, heat up the kitchen with something yummy baking in the oven, wear a onesie or long Johns, wrap yourself in a bathrobe, and break out the blankets.

Staying indoors this winter, in bear-like hibernation mode, doesn’t have to get monotonous and boring. If you get through this list and are still searching for ideas, you can always just Google what else to do. Remember—the world is your oyster with boredom a non-issue, so celebrate the start of 2022 with creative ideas that inspire you to enjoy the rest of the cold days indoors.

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Susan B. B. Schabacker

Forsyth Magazines writer since 2018. Susan Schabacker was blessed to be adopted as a baby and made her journey from South Korea to Massachusetts where she arrived safely into her adoptive mother’s loving arms. She later moved to New Mexico and, after a few years, moved to Winston-Salem, NC, to study classical ballet at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts from the eighth grade through high school. Susan has lived in the Piedmont Triad area for nearly 20 years and had the opportunity to travel to Budapest, Hungary; London, UK; and Beijing, China, where she studied abroad through Elon University. In Stockholm, Sweden, she had a marketing internship at Hachette-Filipacchi, publisher of Elle and other magazines. She graduated with a B.A. in Corporate Communications and a minor in Dance from Elon University. Susan loves writing and is pleased to have written for Winston-Salem Journal’s "Teen Page," Triad Living, KernersvilleMagazine, and of course, Forsyth Mags. She is a co-author of a children’s book, Huckleberry Robin, based on a three-generation true family story. Susan is grateful for her faith, family, and friends and is happy and excited to be part of the Forsyth Mags team. She spreads the word about Forsyth magazines and enjoys reading and sharing them with her family and friends every month.

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