Winter is such a magical time of year. Of course it brings the holiday season and the New Year, but winter is a lot more than that. It’s like a refresh of everything. The leaves are all gone, and the snow and rain comes to wash everything away before the new life starts growing. It’s also a time to spend with the ones you love, and gives you a great time to make a Winter Bucket List!
Winter is one of the best seasons and a lot of people’s favorite season of the year. This year, winter starts December 21 and goes through March 19th, so there’s lots of time for some really awesome Things to Do In Winter.
Use this list to come up with your favorite Winter Bucket List Ideas and start your own Winter Bucket List this new season!
Christmas Bucket List
Winter technically doesn’t start until just days before Christmas. Even though it feels like it starts the day after Thanksgiving because of Christmas. We are still adding a Christmas Bucket List section to this list as well…because who doesn’t like celebrating early?!
Go Look At Christmas Lights
Getting bundled up, grabbing a thermos of hot chocolate and blasting Christmas music while driving around town looking at all the beautiful Christmas lights is definitely something you should do together every year. Find the coolest displays in town, and even venture to other towns you know of that have awesome Christmas Lights set up in Christmas-y neighborhoods.
Pick Out A Christmas Tree
Picking out your Christmas tree together is a fun tradition. You can head to a place where you get to pick out and actually cut down your own Christmas tree, or you can head to a Christmas tree farm and get one that is already pre-cut. If you have a fake tree you put up every year, you can still go to see the Christmas trees and enjoy the smells and take some cute photos together within the trees.
Visit Disneyland At Christmas
Visiting Disneyland at Christmas is magic like no other. They call it the “happiest place on Earth”, and at Christmas time, we would agree! If you don’t live close to Disneyland or Disney World, this is one to put on your bucket list to visit at least once in your life. Disneyland decorates WAY early in November, so you don’t even have to wait until December when things get even more crazy.
Expert tip- Try going to Disneyland on a week day when most kids are in school…before they get out for the winter holidays!
Start A New Christmas Tradition
Christmas traditions are one of our favorite things each year with our family. And we have so many we try to keep up with. Check out our list of Awesome Christmas Traditions to Start This Year, and pick one or two to start doing every year together. Then you can keep up your special traditions every year when you have your own family.
Christmas Movie Marathon
Is winter ever really here without a Christmas Movie Marathon?! Christmas movies are everywhere on TV that’s it’s hard to miss them all together. Pick a day in December where you just get to binge watch all your favorite Christmas movies in a day! Be sure to make some hot cocoa, pop some popcorn and make some goodies. Then snuggle up with your loved ones with a fire going in the fireplace and watch all the best Christmas movies you can find.
Try finding a new movie you’ve never seen, each year!
Decorate The House
Decorating the house for Christmas and winter is a whole event itself. Bringing out all the decorations and making your home all festive and ready for the holidays is a fun thing you can do together. Don’t forget about hanging the Christmas Lights outside your house too!
Watch One Christmas Movie A Night In December
Pick out your favorite 25 Christmas movies and watch one a night starting December 1st! You can each add 12 movies of your choice and mix up which movie you get to watch each night. Challenge yourself to find:
-A Classic Christmas Movie You’ve Never Seen
-A New Christmas Movie You’ve Never Seen
-A Christmas Movie From Each Decade
Make Ornaments
Each year, you can make ornaments together and start collecting them on your Christmas tree. You can find so many fun ideas on Pinterest and make an ornament together that represents that year for you. Don’t forget to mark it with a date, and you’ll be able to cherish and remember each year as you decorate your Christmas tree every December.
Go Christmas Caroling
I think Christmas Caroling is a lost tradition, that we think she be brought back. Lots of churches still do Christmas caroling nights when they take a large group to a hospital or assisted living facilities where you can sing Christmas songs to the people there.
Can’t find someone who is planning one? Plan your own! Head out to some neighborhoods you know, or retirement facilities and spread the Christmas joy!
Dance To Christmas Music
This is a must every year, and can be done every day. Making dinner? Dance along to Christmas music together. Walking around the market…dance!
Decorate Christmas Cookies
Baking and decorating Christmas cookies is an awesome item to add to your Christmas Bucket List. Whether you’re making them for yourselves or giving them as gifts to loved ones, you can have lots of fun decorating. Try out the homemade sugar cookies and get creative with your designs.
Send Christmas Cards To Military Members
Let’s not forget those who don’t get to come home for the holidays. Write up some heartfelt thank you notes on Christmas cards, and send them out to our military members over seas.
Give Toys To Kids In The Hospital
We’ve done this a few times and it’s always the best day! Gather up toys from friends and family, and take them to the kids who are in the hospital for the holidays. They don’t even have to be expensive toys, you can head to the dollar store and get some really fun toys, games and puzzles.
You’ll make the kids’ day that you came by with something special for them.
Kiss Under The Mistletoe
Winter is such a romantic time as well. And now you can have an excuse to kiss someone while you’re standing under mistletoe!
Fill A Stocking For Someone Special
A new one for us is to fill a stocking full of cool gifts and gift it to someone who would never expect it. Think of someone who goes out of their way to help people, someone who helps you, or someone who need a little extra love and holiday spirit. Fill up a stocking full of items you think they may like, including snacks and candies, and surprise them with your sweet gift.
Be In A Christmas Play
Sure you can go to a Christmas play, but what about being IN a Christmas play? Find out which churches or playhouses are looking for volunteers to be in their plays and you can be a part of this years nativity scene and play!
Send Out Christmas Cards
Christmas is the perfect time to send out cards to all your friends and loved ones showing each person you are thinking of them. You can send out generic cards with a personal note inside, or get your holiday cards made with your photos on the outside. This is another great way to stay connected to your friends and family who may be far away.
Make a Gingerbread House
Another one of our Christmas Traditions is decorating Gingerbread Houses. We actually buy the kit, so we don’t have to make the gingerbread walls, but we build it and decorate it together.
We even like to make a competition of it at our family Christmas party. Get your friends together and have fun decorating the best gingerbread house you can!
See The Nutcracker Ballet
The Nutcracker ballet is a staple to the holiday season. Find a local theater putting on the ballet and go watch it together. If no one is doing that ballet, find another play that is Holiday related and go see that instead.
Do A White Elephant Gift Exchange With Friends
White Elephant Gift Exchanges can be so hilarious. You buy a silly gift, wrap it up, and each person gets to be surprised with a gift. The game allows you to steal each others present, and you hope for the best. We have some really great funny White Elephant Gift Ideas for you!
Winter Bucket List In The Snow
Sometimes Winter comes and goes without any snow, depending on where you live. Growing up in Southern California, we didnt get much, so we had to drive to the snow when we wanted to play. If you live where there is snow, these will be a bit easier for you…if you don’t, take a trip to the snow and see how many you can get crossed off.
Have A Snowball Fight
With any good snow day, a snow ball fight is to be had! It doesn’t even have to be planned, just pick up a snowball and start throwing them at each other. Especially if there are kids around, they will love to play with you. Just go easy if they’re really young.
Go Snow Tubing
Snow tubing is one of our favorite cheap ways to play in the snow. You can get an inflatable tube and find a good hill to slide down on it. They even have some really cool Snow Tubing places in different cities where they’ll bring you up on a lift and you can slide down the lanes, and keep going until you’re too tired to stand anymore.
Go Snow Mobile-ing
Snow Mobile-ing is definitely a bucket list item for your winter bucket list. I was able to go for the very first time a few years ago and I was instantly hooked. We try to go once every year now, and it is a blast riding through the snow and on frozen lakes.
Go Dog Sledding
Dog Sledding isn’t available everywhere, but in places like Finland, Alaska, Canada, and places that have dog sledding as part of their culture, you’ll be able to play with the dogs and go along for a ride. We had a blast at the Northern Light’s Village, dog sledding with them in Finland a couple years ago!
Build A Snowman
If there’s snow, build a snowman! It doesn’t take much, but can be a lot of fun. Build a snowman together complete with buttons, arms, and a top hat!
Take A Walk In The Snow
Walking in the snow is so romantic! It’s super peaceful and quiet. Walking hand in hand while you’re bundled up and enjoying the beautiful snow is definitely one you should be adding to your list!
Do A Photo Shoot In The Snow
Snow also makes for some of the best photos! Bundle up together and hire a photographer, or grab a friend to shoot some photos of you together in the snow. They’ll be memories you can cherish and you can even use the photos for your Christmas cards or give as Christmas presents to your parents.
Try Snowshoeing
Having a hard time walking around in the snow? Try snowshoeing. You can walk up mountains with these, even though they do take a little getting use to.
Go Snowboarding
Each winter, we try to take at least one snowboarding trip together. We always have so much fun shredding down the mountain on our snowboards. You don’t even have to own the gear, as many places will rent you everything you need.
Some places even have night skiing/snowboarding, which is another level of fun.
Make A Snow Angel
While you’re in the snow, don’t forget to make a snow angel! Lay down in the snow and do the jumping-jacks motion to create your own perfect snow angel.
Sleep In A Snow Hotel
This is for sure another bucket list item that will need some planning. But what an awesome bucket list item to sleep in a Snow Hotel? These hotels are made entirely of ice and snow, and you get to sleep in it for a night. We ended up sleeping on a bed made of ice and covered with lots of sleeping bags and blankets. It was a really great experience that we’re glad we can say we did.
New Years Bucket List Ideas
New Years is another great holiday that falls in winter, so we have some bucket list items to add to your New Years ideas.
Have A New Year’s Eve Party
New Year’s Eve is an exciting night. You get to countdown to the end of the year and the beginning of next. Get all your friends and family together and celebrate with them. Have a fun game night and have everyone bring their favorite snacks and play until the New Year.
Talk About New Year’s Resolutions
A New Year is the perfect time for new goals and New Year’s Resolutions. We have some great ideas for New Year’s Resolutions for you to check out, and also Couple’s New Years Resolutions you can do too.
Sit down together and talk about what you are hoping to accomplish in the New Year and start planning on how you are going to do that.
Midnight Kiss on New Years
Can’t forget about your Midnight Kiss on New Year’s Eve. It’s become a well-known tradition that you kiss your love at the stroke of midnight. Your last kiss and your first kiss of each year.
Make New Goals
While you’re talking about your resolutions together, why not make some new goals together. Think of some things you both want to accomplish that you can do together.
Start A New Year’s Day Tradition
Think of something you would like to do as a New Year’s Day tradition. Something you might want to start and do every year on the day. We like to get together with family and watch the Rose Parade and football games after we’ve had a chance to sleep from the night before. We bring lots of food and just enjoy each others company.
Valentine’s Day Winter Bucket List
The next holiday in the winter is Valentine’s Day. Some people love it, and some hate it. But we think you should make some new traditions for Valentine’s Day, even if it’s not celebrating it.
Plan A Free Valentine’s Day
Who says you have to spend lots of money to make Valentine’s Day special? We love doing free things, and have some great ideas for free Valentine’s Day Dates!
Make A New Valentine’s Day Tradition
Not sure what you want to do on Valentine’s Day? Come up with a great tradition you can do every year. We like to do Budget Valentine’s Day a couple days after!
You can write a love note to each other, make a special meal together, go do the same activity, or anything else that fits you two.
Make Valentine’s Cards To Pass Out To Kids
Valentine’s Day is loved by lots of kids and a big part of that is the cute Valentine’s Day cards and candy they get to pass out at school. You both can grab a box of Valentine’s Day cards and pass them out to all the kids you know, or random kids around you. (Obviously if you’re giving out candy, you should know the kid!)
All Winter Bucket List Ideas
Winter isn’t just Christmas….it lasts until the middle of March! So here are some great Winter Bucket List Ideas you can do all Winter long!
Have A No Phone Day
This is something that should be adopted a lot more. Everyone is so wrapped up in technology these days that we forget about the people who are right in front of us. So plan a day together (Or one day a week is what we recommend) and have a phone-free day. Just enjoying each other’s company and staying present in the moment without social media and other distractions.
Cozy Up By The Fire Place
Winters are the perfect time to get nice and cozy together, and a fire place makes it that much more romantic! Light the fire place and read a good book together, or have some meaningful conversations. Set up some pillows and blankets by the fire and spend some quality time together.
Stay In A Glass Igloo
Have you ever wanted to enjoy the snow but from the warmth of the indoors? That’s what these glass igloos are perfect for. You can watch the snow fall while laying in bed, staying nice and toasty!
Go Star Gazing
Head out from the city where there’s lots of light pollution and find a dark area where you can go star gazing. Bring something hot to drink, lots of blankets and pillows and watch for shooting stars. Try finding constellations you might know and bask in the wonder of this great earth!
Pajama Day At Home
Stay in your PJ’s ALL. DAY. LONG! Have a Pajama day where you don’t even have to get dressed for the day. You can cross off lots of winter bucket list items while you do this too!
Go To A Football Game
Winter is the perfect time for heading out to a football game. You can go to a local high school or college team and support them. Grab some snacks and a blanket and cheer on your favorite players.
Have A Winter Date Night
Just because it’s cold outside does not mean you can’t enjoy date nights. We have a great list of Winter Date Night Ideas where you can get even more ideas of things you can do for a date night in the winter.
Do A Puzzle
Each year, we do a Christmas puzzle in December. But you can do one any month of the winter. Instead of braving the cold, stay inside and work on a puzzle together. This is a great way to have some conversations and quality time together while working on the puzzle.
Winter Weekend Getaway
Winter getaways are the most romantic. You get to try to stay nice and cozy and have fun in the snow and cold weather. There’s always some kind of romance in the air during winter. Take a winter weekend getaway to a cozy cabin, or to a nice hotel. Enjoy a new town filled with winter beauty and each other.
Have An Outdoor Movie Night
This one might sound crazy, but we love it! If you dress properly and bring out all the blankets and pillows to enjoy a movie outdoors, it’s a fun evening. Get a projector and use a wall on your house to play a movie, and invite some friends over. You can even build a fire next to you to keep warm during the movie.
Take A Winter Train Ride
We are loving the idea of a winter train ride. Grab some tickets to a great winter destination, and take the train. You can sit back and relax while watching each town pass you by, and you never have to worry about the traffic.
Have Breakfast For Dinner
Breakfast for Dinner is one of our favorites during winter. All the hot foods of pancakes, eggs, bacon, sausage, the works. We love doing Belgian waffle bars in the winter too. Instead of soups and chicken, try breakfast for dinner!
Come Up With Your New Favorite Drink Recipes
Winter doesn’t have to be just hot drinks. Play your own bartender and create some new drinks you might like. Sure there are the original favorites, but try to come up with your own famous recipe.
Walk On A Frozen Lake
If you’ve never walked on a frozen lake before, add this one to your list. It’s such a cool thing to be walking on something that is water just under the ice. We never had frozen lakes in California, so I was having a blast the first time I stepped foot on a frozen lake where we were swimming just that summer.
Host Monday Night Football Parties
Our family likes to host Monday Night Football Parties every week. We invite our friends and family and everyone joins for the game and dinner. We typically do buffet style so you can grab your food and go watch the game together.
Do A Polar Bear Plunge
The Polar Bear Plunge is where you get up early in the morning and run into the ocean when the sun is rising…in the winter…with just your swim wear. Lots of places are doing this as a charity event now, so you can join one of those. Be sure to have a towel ready to go when you get out, cause you’ll want to warm up quick! And be smart about it. Don’t go in when there’s a crazy current, winds, or something you won’t be able to swim in…be smart, be safe.
Make S’mores
S’mores are pretty much known to go with camping and mainly in the summer. But we say, why not winter s’mores?! You can make them indoors with canned heat, or do it over the fire pit outside while it keeps you warm.
Make a Wreath
Make a new wreath together for the winter season. It doesn’t have to be just for Christmas. Make one you can hang all winter long. Each year, you can make a new one, or re-decorate the old one for some refreshing new decor.
Have A Sleepover
Have a sleepover with your spouse! Instead of just going to bed like normal, make it a night of fun. Bring out the junk food, play games, and watch movies till you fall asleep on the beds you made in the living room with pillows and blankets.
Go Ice Skating
Ice Skating can be the perfect winter date idea. Look around your town to see if any rinks are available for you to go skate at. Some places even have pop-up outdoor ice skating during the month of December depending on where you live.
Shop For A Charity or Military
Christmas time brings lots of opportunities to donate to charities, but it’s not just for Christmas. You can find good opportunities to shop for or donate to a charity or military organization.
Have A Spa Night
Stay home and get cozy while you have an at-home spa night together. Give each other couple’s massages, paint your toes, and soak in the hot tub if you have one around you.
Go Shopping Together
Each of you probably have a list of people you have to buy for, for Christmas presents, so do your shopping together. Christmas isn’t the only time you shop though, so head out together and shop the Black Friday sales, After Christmas sales, and Presidents Day sales, etc.
See The Northern Lights
Probably number 1 on my bucket list before we got to see them! Seeing the Northern Lights at least once in your life is something I think every single person should try to do. It was the most amazing night each time we got to watch them dance across the sky. And you don’t have to go as far as you think you do to catch them. Sometimes the Northern states in the US can see them depending on how strong they are.
Help a Neighbor Shovel Snow/Hang Lights/Etc.
Winter can be hard for older people, especially in the snow. How about going together to help a neighbor or friend you know who might need help shoveling their drive-way, hanging or taking down their Christmas lights, or driving somewhere when it’s bad weather. It’s great to help those in need and even more fun when you get to bless someone together.
Find a New Hobby To Do Together
After the holidays end, winter can sometimes seem like a boring season since its cold outside and you might not want to go out, so you get restless indoors. This is a perfect opportunity to find a new couples hobby you can start together!
Have A Bon Fire
Sitting outside during a chilly night by a bon fire is a perfect activity for winter. The fire will keep you warm enough, and you get to relax in the quiet while breathing in the fresh winter air.
Drink Eggnog
Eggnog is a seasonal drink thats typically only sold in stores during the winter. You’ll have to grab it while it lasts since they take it out of the stores before you know it. Try some spiked eggnog to keep your warm inside.
Go On A Carriage Ride
Another great romantic winter bucket list idea is to take a carriage ride. We went on a reindeer drawn carriage ride in Finland which was pretty cool. There are also horse drawn carriage rides you can go on, just try to make sure their horses are being well taken care of.
Make Something For The House
Why not do a winter house project while you’re feeling stuck indoors? You probably have a list of things you’ve been meaning to get to…now you can do something together that can help your house. Re-decorate a room, paint some furniture, or build something to add to your house together.
Winter Hike
Hiking in the snow can be a unique take on a hike. The views are sure to be spectacular and the hike is so peaceful since not many people are typically out doing the same thing.
Try Ice Fishing
After the lake freezes over, it means it time for ice fishing! It’s something fun to try at least once in your life, and if you end up loving it, then you’ll have something you can do each and every winter.
Make Homemade Soup
Hot meals are the best during a cold day, and homemade is even more special. Learn how to make the best homemade soup by trying out different recipes each week. Use your crock-pot so it cooks all day long and you can eat the delicious soup that evening.
Host a Couple’s Game Night
Everyone else is staying home indoors, ask them to come over for a Couple’s Game Night. Invite all your couple friends to come play a series of games at your place and have a friendly competition with everyone while you eat some goodies and have some drinks.
Make Homemade Hot Chocolate
Hot Chocolate is a staple of winter. Try out some new hot chocolate recipes to find how you like it best. Instead of ripping open the pre-made packets, try your hand at making your own together.
Have A Super Bowl Party
Super Bowl is also in winter and ends the Football season. Invite all your family and friends over to watch the game (and commercials) together. Do a pot-luck style where everyone can bring a dish and have lunch/dinner together.
Take A Cooking Class
Winter is a great time to try new things. Take a cooking class and learn how to make one of your favorite dishes or desserts. Taking a cooking class together is a fun way to spend some time out of the house, and you get the benefit of eating your delicious food at the end.
Spend An Evening Outside In A Hot Tub
Jacuzzis are such a great way to relax, and sitting in one outside during the winter just makes it that much more relaxing. You stay nice and toasty, but can still breathe in the fresh winter air.
Volunteer
There are so many different opportunities out there for you both to volunteer together, and winter time is a very demanding time for volunteers as well. Volunteer to help at a toy drive, to pass out presents, serve at a soup kitchen, help out at an animal shelter, pick up trash around the neighborhoods, and so much more. It’s nice to volunteer together.
Plan Your Summer Vacation
Dreaming of warmer weather? Plan your Summer vacation together! Decide where you want to go, and start getting some plans set. Find your location, hotels, and start looking at flights. Dream up some fun places you’d like to go in the New Year.
Make A Photo Book Of Your Year
We try to do this every year, but sometimes have to catch up. Winter is the best time to reminisce on the year you’ve had and dream up a new year that’s to come. Put together a photo book of all the photos you took that year together and do one each year, so you have all your memories in one place.
Watch All The Oscar Best Picture Nominated Movies
The Oscars come during the winter time, so make it a goal to watch all the Nominees for Best Picture that year.
Visit A Local Craft Fair
Lots of locals come together for a craft fair around the holidays, so that would be a fun thing to do during the winter. Check out the creativity each person has, and maybe even do a little Christmas shopping.
Write A New Spring Bucket List
Get ready for the next season and write up your Spring Bucket List of things you want to do together in the Spring. Just like you did for this list.
Your Turn! Start your Winter Bucket List with some of your favorite Winter Bucket List Ideas from this list. Write them out and start crossing them off one by one. You can do a yearly Winter Bucket List, or a master bucket list that you’ll work on for years to come.
Sara, a seasoned expert in wedding planning and date ideas, brings a wealth of experience to our couples blog. With a background in the television industry and hands-on involvement in a dozen weddings, including working as a wedding assistant on "My Fair Wedding with David Tutera," Sara has an innate understanding of the magic that makes weddings truly special. Growing up with four sisters has given her unique insights into the dating world, making her a go-to source for practical and heartfelt dating advice. Her knowledge and enthusiasm make her the perfect guide for couples seeking to infuse their relationships with creativity and love.