Christmas Is Here!
Christmas season is here! One of the most beloved and looked forward to times of year has officially arrived. Christmas seems to take over the season, but winter this year actually runs from December 21, 2025 to March 20, 2026. I see a lot of fall bucket lists each year but rarely or maybe never do I hear of a winter bucket list so I’m rectifying this. Keep reading to find out what I’m doing this year to make the winter special in our household beyond just Christmas (although there will be plenty of Christmas activities). Plus if you read to the end there is a free winter 2025 bucket list for you to download similar to my fall bucket list here.
The Winter Blues
I think it’s a shame so many people get the winter blues. I’m one of the rare few that actually loves winter. My favorite season is fall but the runner up is winter. It’s so cozy, nostalgic, and even after the Christmas hustle and bustle I think it’s an exciting time of year.
So, if I love winter so much then why do so many people get the winter blues? I’m a firm believer a lot of it is mindset. If mindset is much to blame for those pesky winter blues then I have a theory on how to cure or at least keep at bay those sad feelings.
The Winter Mindset Shift
Winter is cold, depending on where you live this can look bleak in snow or ice covered everything when you look out your window or step outside. It gets dark early and in the cold snowy landscape that can feel depressing all on its own. Bring in gray skies and no signs of the sun for days, weeks, or months and it’s no wonder people start feeling down.
Winter is also known for Christmas. It’s the whole point to the season for many. A lot of work and excitement goes in to a day that is over quicker than all the prep that went into it. Then you have months of cold, dark days filled with no big things to look forward to, right? Wrong!
That may be how it feels but here’s how I view the winter season.
My Winter Vantage Points
I’m going to start with the beginning of the winter season and work my way through on how I view winter and the reasons I love it so much. These are also the reasons that I think you might at least tolerate it more than you think you can. Here are the highlights broken down into list form:
– 1. Christmas:
Naturally, this first event kicks us off with a bang. The problem is that because winter this year starts on December 21st which is just a few days into the season Christmas is already over right at the beginning of winter. Nevertheless, Christmas is wonderful and there are a ton of winter themed or Christmas themed things centered around this time of year. Whether it’s decorating your home, baking and cooking with family, or going out to view Christmas lights, watching a Christmas movie, and the number of other traditions you may have it’s a time of year on some level most people enjoy.
– 2. Christmas 2.0:
As a Christian I’ve been surprised by how many churches do not teach the church year. A church year starts generally around the Sunday closest to November 30th (4 weeks before Christmas) and runs through Epiphany which is January 6th. Because of this I keep my Christmas decorations up through the whole church Christmas season and take the decorations down after January 6th. It isn’t a whole lot of extra time but I get part way through January still totally justified in staying in the Christmas season with an ultra cozy house for a few extra days since the church views Christmas as extending to and ending on January 6th and not December 25th.
– 3. New Year’s:
Most people don’t do much on New Year’s Day unless perhaps you count recovering from New Year’s Eve (ha!) but really people celebrate New Year’s Eve. I’m not much of a partier or drinker so we don’t do much in our household but we still countdown and my husband and I kiss at midnight if we are still up. Our daughter is too young to participate and sleeps right through the whole thing.
What I will say is that the start of a new year feels fresh and while I don’t do New Year’s resolutions it does feel like a fresh start and it can be nice to have a project or something in your home you can do to feel that reset. The one tradition we have begun on New Year’s Eve and that we all look forward to is setting off fireworks and sparklers. It’s pretty and fun and my daughter gets to experience the excitement of New Year’s even if she doesn’t stay awake to midnight.
– 4. Birthdays:
I know not everyone has birthdays to celebrate during this part of the year but January keeps feeling festive in our household because we have a few birthdays we celebrate. Even if you don’t have birthdays to celebrate I highly recommend coming up with something to look forward to about a month after Christmas.
The end of January is where I find people really hating the winter and I think outside of the fact that the weather is cold and the sky is dark they also have Christmas blues. All that lead up to one magical day and then it’s just over. The adrenaline dump of that is a real thing and after you’ve recovered you find yourself missing what you were for so long looking forward to. Have a party randomly with friends and family, plan to go on a trip or go do something fun locally like a museum or amusement park (if weather permits) that you’ve always wanted to try, or just find something you can look forward to and do it that last week in January.
– 5. Valentine’s Day:
My husband and I don’t really celebrate Valentine’s Day, but I know a lot of people who do. We try and celebrate one another all through the year and yes we are those people that think Valentine’s Day is a greeting card company scheme to some extent; however, when you have little kids in your household I do think it’s worth making it known that it’s a world event. It’s good for education and it can be fun to do Valentine’s themed activities with your kiddos.
Some of my favorite activities in school were around Valentine’s Day – anyone else remember those shoe box decorating days where you create a mailbox for your Valentine’s Day cards? – loved that! It was fun picking out your Valentine’s cards and passing them out at school so I want to do something similar with my daughter even though she is homeschooled. There is church or some classes she attends at places like a rec center or library where she can still hand out Valentines, plus no kid would turn down decorating heart shaped cookies which is another Valentine’s Day project I have planned!
– 6. Amping up to spring:
That’s right ladies and gentlemen we have made it to March! Since winter goes all the way through March 20 in 2026 in some places of the world you can start dusting off your spring wardrobe. Here in Texas the temperatures often start rising, the birds start chirping, and the grass is back to green. If it’s an early Easter that can even occur the same week winter ends and spring begins. In 2026 Easter is early April but just a couple of weeks after winter is over so to end your winter season you can actually start prepping for spring and Easter!
Is Winter What You Thought?
How many of us equate winter to the cold and to Christmas? I think most people do. But in reality winter isn’t what starts the cold (that’s the fall) it’s what ends it and lands us nicely into spring. Winter isn’t just cold, dark, and dreary but warm and cozy. A lot more than Christmas takes place in the winter months and some of it are people’s favorite things.
If you ever find yourself still struggling through the winter season then change your mindset. One of my biggest game changing tips is to create or plan something to look forward to. I am telling you this will rocket you through winter. It doesn’t have to be expensive or crazy there are plenty of home projects to do, things to try in the kitchen, little purchases to make to glow up a small corner of your home. There are places to go, people to see, and things to do. Museums, amusement parks, movies, you name it get out there and go do it.
Make it a big deal and look forward to it but don’t make it so far in the future you feel frustrated. That’s why I suggest doing something around one month after Christmas – it’s just long enough for a lull but not so long you wind up in the deep winter blue trenches. Do this periodically through the season if you need because you can go as big or small as you’d like with things to look forward to.
The Winter 2025 Bucket List
For the fall season I offered a free fall bucket list which you can see and read about here. This winter I am doing the same. I am offering a free winter bucket list which you can download by clicking here.
I’ve added a screenshot of my Winter 2025 bucket list (which remember actually takes us into 2026). Winter is different than fall because so many winter things are Christmas themed so that can make it tough but again you can create your own fun and adventures as big or small as you’d like and here’s what I am planning for my winter season!
There is a lot of focus this year on activities with our toddler. Outside of Christmas traditions and a lot of baking I am excited for Valentine’s Day themed projects, making s’mores at a campfire on our property, experiencing our daughter drinking hot chocolate for the first time, and I would love to take her to a museum or maybe even the zoo if it is a mild winter (one of the perks of Texas weather). One of the downsides of Texas weather is the possibility it might not snow, but if it does (and here’s hoping!) we will definitely play out in the snow!
Creating Your Own Winter Bucket List
As I suggested for the Fall 2025 Bucket List you can print off the list and put it on the refrigerator, keep it with you in your purse and check things off on the spot, or print it out and frame it in a cute winter themed picture frame. You can use a washable marker on the glass to check off items on your list if you so choose and then the frame is reusable for you to do a new bucket list each year. The date on the printable bucket list is blank so you can reuse the bucket list every year by just writing in the new year. You can also keep the bucket list digital and check it off on your phone or computer as you go if that’s easier for you.
Looking For More To Get You Through The Winter?
If you are wanting to give your home a reset at the beginning of the New Year then check out my free downloadable cleaning checklist to help you keep a clean home with ease all year long. There are even some seasonal home project ideas for you to do. Download it on my homepage by clicking on the link “Download Your Checklist!”.
You can also check out my recipes for cooking projects during the winter lulls and my latest blog post on creating a traditional home perfect for holiday inspiration and new traditions to start in the new year. Lastly, if you are still doing some last minute Christmas shopping check out my Amazon Gift Guide where you can find budget friendly options for even the hardest people to buy for plus because all the gifts are on Amazon you don’t have to worry about shipping or not getting your gift in time (unless maybe it’s a day or two before ;)).
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year from my family to yours!
