Winter Adventure List 2021/2022
Munich in the winter is stunning.
If you’re anything like me, you might have also noticed that if you don’t plan in fun things they tend to not eventuate. Time management expert Laura Vanderkam routinely publishes her seasonal fun lists on her blog. As the name suggests, these are lists of fun activities that she wants to do in the upcoming season. I love reading them: I’m always interested in getting some new ideas, it often inspires me to think a bit more creatively, and to also consider how I’m going to insert as much fun as possible into each season.
I have written my own from time to time, but this year, since this will be the last winter I spend living in Munich (before we head back home to Melbourne, right in time for Australia’s autumn/winter period!), I thought it would be a good time to write one and to share it with you (perhaps you’ll be inspired to write and enjoy your own adventure list).
So, here’s my winter adventure list for 2021/2022
Milk Munich for all it’s got in these last months
This will involve returning to places I’ve loved:
Enjoying the greenery of the Englischer Garten, Olympiapark, and the Hirschgarten (deer garden!).
Strolling around Marienplatz, the Viktulienmarkt, and beautiful Schwabing.
Taking some long walks around my neighbourhood that, although is built-up with lots of apartment building, has little (and big) pockets of green everywhere.
Returning to the Wildpark Poing - where you get to roam around with the deer and feed them. We went with our eldest son when he was two, but I think we’re due for a revisit now that he’s older and has a little newly-walking brother.
Munich Marienplatz
And doing things I haven’t yet gotten around to (over the past six years!):
Actually going up to the observation deck of the Olympic Tower (preferably on a clear day after the snow arrives).
Visiting the Munich Law Library (which looks absolutely amazing).
Embracing all the hygge vibes
Roasting chestnuts.
Enjoying warm lamps and candles in the late afternoon.
Plenty of hours sitting with a tea, under a snuggly blanket, reading a good book.
Some books that are creeping to the top of my TBR list are: Is This Anything? by Jerry Seinfeld, In Our Time, short stories by Ernest Hemingway (I’ve never read any Hemingway before, well, except for an excerpt in lit class a lifetime ago), When the Body Says No: The Cost of Hidden Stress by Gabor Maté, and The Next Right Thing by Emily P Freeman (actually, I’ve finished this one since writing this list – and I definitely recommend it for anyone who has big (or small) decisions or transitions looming). I often choose my next book as I’m finishing the previous one, and my choice often has a lot to do with what I feel like reading next at the time - meaning: all this could drastically change! (Case in point: I’m actually just finishing up The Creative Cure by Jacob Nordby, and my current fiction read is: After You’d Gone by Maggie O’Farrell). Stay tuned for an upcoming post where I discuss all the books I’ve read in 2021!).
New creative adventures
Trying my hand at watercolour painting (there are a few accounts on Instagram that are getting me really excited about this! I’ve already bought all my supplies from Sostrene Greene). Update: I’m loving watercolour, and I’ve also rediscovered my passion for drawing – it’s really worthwhile trying out some new creative activities!
Learning to knit - I’m going to begin with a scarf. I found this video on YouTube that was really helpful and I’ve already started!
Make a playlist of songs that transport me to a different time (this Instagram post was the inspiration for this idea).
Making an apple pie (I love a good apple pie, but rarely bake them).
Okay, so this one’s a cherry pie - I will also try to make one of these!
Enjoying the snow (when more of it comes, let’s hope!)
Build a snowman.
Have a snowball fight (the four year old will be up for that one!).
My son with a snowman that we didn’t make (last winter).
Enjoying our last Christmas living in the Northern Hemisphere
For now, that is. Who knows what the future will hold?!
Making a Christmas wreath (I love all of the Scandinavian-style designs on Pinterest).
Designing and sending Christmas cards to our family and friends (I like using a cute photo of my sons and printing them off with Optimal print). I’ve almost (finally) completed this task – time really got away from me this year! The Australians will probably receive theirs in January.
Creating our family’s yearly photo book. I basically go through all my photos of the year and document all our adventures (both big and small). I put this in as a gift into our self-made advent calendar. Again, this is a task I haven’t quite gotten around to – but I’m giving myself a big old dose of grace this year. This can happen in January, or February.
ALL of the Christmas markets + maybe even a day trip to the (apparently amazing) one in Nuremberg. Update: Okay, so I originally wrote this post before the Christmas markets were cancelled in Munich, so instead, we’re focussing on creating all the Christmas-y vibes at home.
Christmas cookies! Glühwein! I want to make a plum pudding!
Christmas movies: some favourites of mine are National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation (Christmas is not Christmas unless we watch this one!), Home Alone I and 2, Jingle All The Way, Elf, The Grinch, The Santa Claus. More recent favourites are: The Christmas Chronicles, Klaus (watched this on repeat with my eldest Christmas 2019, just before my second son arrived - so now the sentimental-value of this movie is through the roof)
Christmas stories: I think this year might be the year that I finally read Dickens’ A Christmas Carol (note: I haven’t read it yet! Maybe I’ll still pick it up before Christmas). I also just discovered that Truman Capote wrote a memoir called A Christmas Memory. Little Women by Louisa May Alcott, which I may or may not have read (don’t know if I’m just getting confused with the movie), also includes Christmas time, so that might be a good one to read at this time of the year. And finally, Penguin has a Book of Christmas Stories with contributions from multiple writers that sounds enticing!
We have a growing collection of children’s Christmas books that I’ve rescued from storage (and have been presenting to the boys gift wrapped as if new, as part of the Advent Calendar). My favourite is The Night Before Christmas (a classic, and a beautiful poem - we have this pop-up edition that makes such a nice little decoration). We also have: The Twelve Days of Christmas, The Tree That’s Meant To Be, Snowmen at Christmas, Dasher, That’s Not My Snowman. I’ve added Letters from Father Christmas by JRR Tolkien to our collection this year (letters he wrote to his own children!), and also: The Jolly Christmas Postman by Janet and Allan Ahlberg, as well as The Christmas Wombat by Jackie French (to get my sons inspired for moving back to Australia!).
Oh, and I almost forgot! Listening to Christmas songs. Maria Carey’s All I want For Christmas is You, Dolly Parton’s Hard Candy Christmas, and Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas (I’m partial to the Frank Sinatra version) are my absolute favourites.
And of course we have been decorating (we go for a cosy nordic feel) - follow me on Instagram to see some pics.
Okay, the Christmas adventure portion is long! Can you tell I love Christmas?!
Our window Christmas decorations from last year with the snow outside (it snowed just after Christmas!)
Travel, travel, travel (or maybe not)
There are quite a few places that we’d still like to get to before going back to Australia - Budapest and Sopron (in Hungary), Rome and more of Northern Italy, Iceland, England, maybe even Ireland, and Prague - I don’t know if we’ll get to them all, but we’ll see! Update: with the new variant, travel is going to be a lot more complicated (if not impossible). We did manage to sneak in a trip late November/early December, and I’m so glad we did given the situation now. I’m not sure what we will manage – let’s see.
Something really lovely
I would also like to write some love letters. I recently stumbled across this organisation called, More Love Letters. They post little bios of people who need some love and nurturing (that have been nominated by their loved ones) and then people around the world can send them love letters. They end up with a whole bunch of beautiful letters. It’s such a fun and whimsical idea - I want to try it out!
Planning for 2022
It may not be on everyone’s adventure list, but I really enjoy planning for the next year. This generally involves: writing down my goals (see my goal-planning process here), deciding upon my word or phrase of the year, and writing down important dates and making fun lists (new things I want to try, for instance). I’m really excited to get stuck into my new Mål Paper Daily Goal Setter Planner! Stay tuned for a post about the slightly different (and more grace-filled) planning approach I’m taking for 2022, given the huge transition we are on the cusp of.
So, that’s my Winter adventure list for 2021/2022. I’m sure I’ll think of even more ideas in the coming weeks. I hope you’ve got some ideas of fun things to do to get you through the January/February ‘pickle’ months in the Northern hemisphere (this is a concept I heard from a German friend – the part of winter when Christmas is over, and it is really cold!). We need some nice warm plans to see us through.
What’s on your next adventure list? Leave your ideas in the comments below.
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