9 perfect things to do on a long winter evening

Last Updated on June 20, 2024 by Michelle

We all know it; it’s just hard to remember. . . there is joy to be found in every season. And there are wonderful things to do in the winter. No doubt.

It’s just hard for me not to long for warm garden dirt under my nails; tall grass rippling in the sun; sweet new life chirping and mooing around me on the farm; a beautiful morning swim in the lake; and a juicy, fresh tomato sandwich for lunch. You know the kind. Perfectly toasted homemade bread. Generous amounts of butter. A deep red slice of tomato that is so wonderfully large it overflows the edges of the bread.

 

But it’s February. In New England. So I need to have a 4:8 Attitude and enjoy another few months of winter.

9 Great Things To Do on a Long Winter’s Evening

I decided this evening I will enjoy the toasty fire and make a list of all the wonderful things I need to try to make sure I do with the little bits of winter that remain. So here’s my list, in no particular order. Well, except #1 is my favorite endeavor ever. Any season.

1. write.

So yeah, writing is of course the first thing a writer thinks about. But I’m not talking about necessarily writing a novel. Take the long hours of winter evenings to write a letter to someone who would appreciate your handwritten thoughts, maybe an elderly relative or a friend of a friend who is serving in the military. Or consider journaling.

Carve out your own spot, with a good wintery view, or a warm fire nearby, and start documenting details about:

. . .  milestones you, a child, or your spouse encountered recently,

. . . dreams of what you’d like to accomplish in the seasons ahead,

. . . favorite recipes, finally getting them organized in a binder that you can keep in reach in the kitchen.

. . . memories of your last year or memories of your childhood–either way, someday your children will love to know.

2. craft.

Knit, sew, braid a rug? It so happens that I have 4 daughters who love to do one or all of these things, but I’m, well, let’s say a little “challenged” in those areas. But I love sitting down and dwindling away a few hours with a few daughters in front of a table full of art supplies.

Even if you’re craft-challenged, like I am, you too may love making mini art with a child–check out these mini Artist Trading Cards my daughters and I enjoy making together.

What better time than the long chilly nights of winter to cuddle up with a child or spouse and learn a new skill?

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What better way to get inspired for spring than to start planning Easter crafts? Read here about our family’s favorite Easter traditions. Or check out these amazing all-natural egg dyes. Or just hop on over (see what I did there?) to my Easter board on pinterest.

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Or just use the long evenings to make something beautiful, like the all-recycled-denim blanket my daughters pieced together from scraps of denim in my fabric box I keep tucked away in the barn attic for just such a time as a long, cold, dull week of winter..

Consider taking on a long-term project that you can put away when springtime arrives, bringing more busyness with it. Then revisit your craft project and pull it out when chilly autumn evenings find you with more time on your hands once again.

3. read.

Whittle away an hour on a dark winter evening tucked under cozy blankets with your child and a great book between you. Or commit with your spouse that one or two nights a week will be reading night and you’ll sit close, each with your favorite current read in hand. If another family member is in on the plan, you’re more likely to make sure you make time for reading just for fun, you know instead of washing the dishes or cleaning out the fridge, or any of those silly things that we sometimes decide to do instead of just sitting and relaxing.

I would never require a child who was still getting good at reading to do any of the winter-evening-family-time reading. No, it was all sheer enjoyment of being lost in a great classic, with mom doing all the “work.” I was also shocked at how well a small toddler could follow along on a rather complicated story. And an amazing bonus I learned early on was that after I finished reading a classic to them, that would have been totally impossible for them to “get into” on their own, they almost always wound up revisiting it and reading it totally independently. What a fabulous way to teach your child to appreciate well-written, somewhat difficult books at an early age and foster a life-long joy of reading great literature.

♥ DISCLOSURE: This post contains affiliate links. ♥

I asked my daughters what were their favorites that I read to them over the years. They all agreed on these:

The Hobbit, Anne of Green Gables, The Chronicles of Narnia (especially The Magicians Nephew), The Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, Johnny Tremain, Witch of Blackbird Pond (I know, if you don’t know of this classic, you may think it doesn’t sound appropriate for little ones, but trust me, it’s not at all what the title leads you to believe and all ages will love this story), and Little Women. Ironically the last one of the list was always my daughters’ favorite, even before they realized that we are the real-life Marsh family, even down to my second daughter named “Jo” and our attic with a dress up trunk. (Truth, I have a sweet friend who every once in a while calls me “Marmee.”)

                  

 

But then one daughter chimed in that I really should tell you their favorites when they were learning to read to me as well:

                    

 

Or maybe you’d like to sit down with a good back-to-basics-living blog to scour on a cold, dark evening? I like reading The Prairie Homestead, The Elliot Homestead, Reformation Acres, Oakhill Homestead, Melissa K Norris, and, for insight to an urban homestead, you’d like Weed Em and Reap.

And, of course there’s always Pinterest for making handy boards of all your homesteading topics you want to read more about later. (Here’s a link to my boards if you wanna snoop.)

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I’ve never lied, our family’s efforts to live a more “simple life” are never simple. I’ve said time and again that simple joys require hard work. It turns out some of the harsh realities and hard work of winter are part of the hardships I share honestly in my posts about  the two reasons you may decide to never own a homestead.

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4. tap.

Mind you, it still gets dark very early in February in these parts, so you have to have taps in by 5 p.m. or carry a good floodlight with you.

But you may be surprised to know that you do NOT have to live in Canada or New England to successfully make delicious maple syrup. You don’t even have to have a sugar maple in your backyard. In fact, you can tap any one of these 30 different varieties of trees! And as long as you have a few days that the temperature is above 40 in the day and freezing at night, or if you learn to watch for any drastic change in weather fronts, you CAN make syrup.

Go here for more information about knowing the right time to tap your trees.

If you’d rather just make some amazing maple sugar in your kitchen (absolutely NO tapping required) check out this course, Making Maple Sugar, to learn all you need to know to become an expert this winter.

 

5. build.

While you’re waiting on the sap to run, a long winter evening is the perfect time to build a Reverse Osmosis (RO) filter and save hundreds of dollars on your backyard syrup production this winter. You can read all about our experience in this post: One Tip that Will Save You Hundreds on Your DIY Maple Syrup. 

Everything you need to know to build this awesome money-saving devise is right here. To make it easy for you to save hundreds of dollars on making maple syrup this year, I’ve compiled a complete list of all the items we purchased to make our RO filter and included my artistic husband’s set of directions (yeah, I’m joking about the artist thing). Just click right here if you’d like the full scoop.–>

Or, if you have no desire to tap a tree (yeah, I do forget sometimes that not everyone is a maple fanatic), why not build a robot with a child? I’m serious. Amazing Mindstorms kits (see below) make it possible for even a young child to assemble and program a robot, made of legos, to move, turn, pick up things, and even say something. Our family has seriously had life-changing experiences thanks to building robots. Seriously. I explain in this post. 

          

6. ferment.

Yep. What better time to enjoy a glorious bottle of fruity fermented kombucha than on a dark winter’s night when summer seems oh-so-far-away… If you’re new to brewing kombucha, check out this post about how to get started making kombucha.

Dive into my FREE detailed e-course about making kombucha right here.

 

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I love cleaning our wool rugs this time of year. Read my post on the topic and check out my youtube video for the full scoop.

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7. plan.

Put your dreams of next summer’s garden on paper, diagraming where you want to plant each item.

Make records of what you canned last fall and even jots down details about how to can. (I know I sure would have treasured them if my mom ever documented that kind of information for my daughters and I to use some day.)

Gather some great seedling containers and get your seeds started. Play in dirt Yay! Finally! Even if it is bags of dirt I bought at Agway and plopped on my barn floor–since there’s a foot of snow everywhere outside–this feels good.

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Try some one of these 6 Ingenious Seedling Planters I shared last year.

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8. watch.

Winter is the perfect time to sit back and binge watch some great shows. Did you know Amazon Prime members have access to tons of videos, movies, and shows? Check it out for free for a whole month and find some great things to binge watch! (affiliate link)

 

9. listen.

Catching up on podcasts is a great way to spend a long winter’s evening. I’d love to have you join me over on my podcast: SImple Doesn’t Mean Easy.

Of course you could also enjoy a great book, on audio too.

 

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You can even try a great audio book on Amazon for free! Read about how you can enjoy a 30-day free trial here with this link; plus Try Audible and Get Two Free Audiobooks)

 

 

But most importantly. . . enjoy.

However you choose to spend a long winter evening, have a 4:8 Attitude. Enjoy a warm fire. Enjoy the still, quiet beauty of winter, because soon enough Spring will dance in through open windows and beckon you to join her under a blue-sky canopy of promising days. I promise. But for now, while Spring is quietly gaining strength you can do the same. Strength in waiting, relaxing, crafting, reading, and planning for that sweet day, one day soon, when you join in the jubilation that Spring will bring.

 

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He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart. Ecclesiastes 3:11a