A winter bucket list to cover the quieter months as well as the holidays, because we all need both right now!
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I’ve never been so excited for winter in my life! I’m always excited for the Christmas season – I’m 100% a kid when it comes to the holidays, but this year I’m also ready for winter. There’s something about the inherent slowing down that comes in the winter: the quieting, the space to rest and recharge. It feels so natural to make space for that.
Fall Travel in Review
Fall was a good one for travel. My in-laws came to visit in September, so we did a proper Italy tour: Venice, Amalfi Coast, Rome, Florence, the Dolomites, and of course our town.
After a busy few months hosting both sides of our families, October was mostly about getting ready for Logan to deploy. He left in November, but not before we squeezed in weekends in Milan and the Dolomites!
In November, I headed to Belgium for a few days and ate my weight in fries, waffles, chocolate and beer. And I spent the past two weeks on a big Christmas market trip, starting with Cologne and working my way south! In two weeks I covered 5 cities in Germany, France, & Switzerland.
One Christmas-related plug: if you haven’t ordered Christmas cards yet, I highly recommend Minted! I bought mine there this year and am OBSESSED. The quality for price is unmatched anywhere else I’ve shopped. This week, they’re having a 20% off sale plus free shipping for holiday cards if you’re looking – just use code SNOW2021.
Christmas Markets and Beyond
I’m SOO excited about a Christmas season not in lockdown! Even small things feel huge, like our local Christmas market going up.
Europe has been experiencing rising numbers, unfortunately resulting in the cancellation of some Christmas markets and Austria going into lockdown. Right now, Germany has closed all Christmas markets in Bavaria and Saxony.
But don’t let that get you down, because many are still open. I’ve spent the past 10 days visiting Christmas markets in Germany, France, and Switzerland – follow along on Instagram for daily updates!
My family is spending Christmas here in Italy, including my brother and his wife’s first time in Italy! We’ll do a bit of travel but also soak up the holiday as a family.
January and February are still a bit of a blank slate for me. I always love the fresh start of the new year. That combined with the uncertainty of what travel will look like in a few months means I’m okay with assessing what it should be when it’s actually here.
One thing I am looking forward to in the new year is getting back into a cooking routine. Between the usual summer slump of cooking and a travel-heavy fall, it feels like I’ve barely made a proper dinner in months! So I’m excited to get back in the kitchen and work those creative food muscles again.
Winter Bucket List
- knit something (my mom gave me this book a few years back and it’s the best)
- make: european hot chocolate, Christmas cookies, and kale sausage pasta
- visit Christmas markets!
- host my family for Christmas
- start up a regular morning routine, including meditating
- keep creating custom travel guides on Thatch
- pick a new cookbook to cook through in 2022
- send care packages to Logan
- walk or exercise daily
- read: See you in the Piazza, It’s OK That You’re Not OK, and Our Woman in Moscow
- Set goals for 2022 focused on progress not checkboxes
As always, I share a winter bucket list with my email subscribers – it’s full of seasonal fun you can do wherever you live! If you’re interested, sign up below and I’ll send it along!
