By Cole Van Lue

I know what you are thinking; why is he already talking about winter? Sure, it’s only November, but we have already had our first snowfall here at Ball State. In fact, many parts of the country have already seen several inches of snow already! And to think we are still a month and a half away from the first official day of winter…

Whether you love winter or hate it, there are so many fun activities you can do. Growing up, winter was probably one of my favorite seasons. My birthday is in December, so I always looked forward to getting gifts before Christmas. It was my “pre-Christmas” so to speak. Additionally, snowfall is common around this time of year, so there was always a chance school would get delayed (or better yet canceled). There was nothing more exciting than watching the list of delays and cancelations and seeing your school pop up on the TV screen. Then Christmas rolls around and you get to spend time with loved ones, eat great food, and exchange gifts. Winter is an underrated season…at least in my opinion.

Sure, I get it. It’s cold outside. But it’s only going to get colder, so you might as well make the most of it. In this blog post, I am going to give you a list of fun activities that will warm you up this winter.

Who said having fun is just for kids? One of my favorite fun activities to do in the winter is ice-skating. You may think you have to be good at skating to go ice-skating, but that could not be farther from the truth. I am a TERRIBLE ice-skater, but I am slowly improving. Ice skating is a fun activity you can do with friends, family, and your significant other. It is a very popular winter activity, so there is likely a rink fairly close to you. If nothing else, wait for the nearest lake or pond to freeze over and enjoy the day skating around or playing ice hockey.

The next activity is one of my personal favorites: ice fishing. I grew up in an area that has hundreds of lakes, so ice fishing was a very popular winter activity growing up. If you have a lake near you, give ice fishing a try once the ice is thick enough. Bundle up and catch some fish, and you will be ready to enjoy a nice fish fry. Yum!

If you are in the Christmas spirit, take the family out to go see some Christmas lights. Many urban areas often have light displays or Christmas trees you can go view. If walking around in the cold is not your cup of tea, no worries! There are light displays that allow you to drive your car through and enjoy the sights while you are in the comfort of your vehicle.

Are you more of the active type? If so, you may want to take your family skiing or sledding! While these activities are weather dependent, some places actually make their own snow. Another popular variation of sledding is tobogganing or tubing. Needless to say, there is something for everyone to enjoy!

This next activity is especially fun for older kids and adults: snowmobiling. You may not get excited sledding down a hill, but you will definitely get an adrenaline rush driving through a snow-covered field. While most of us do not actually own snowmobiles, there are many places where you can go and rent them for a few hours.

Say you can’t go anywhere because the roads are so bad. Unfortunately, you are snowed in. What do you do? Depending on how well the snow packs together, you can build a snowman. Or better yet, you can have a snowball fight. I remember how serious my friends and I used to take snowball fights. We would build trenches, igloos, and all sorts of structures so we could store our ammunition and protect ourselves from incoming snowballs. It was a big deal.

The last option will interest the people who are not fans of winter: stay inside and enjoy the views from your humble abode. No one will judge you if you curl up by a fire or heater, grab a cup of coffee or hot chocolate and watch the snow come down. Read a book, watch a movie, or play a board game. It’s an excuse to enjoy winter from the inside.

There you have it. I hope that this post made you a little more optimistic about the approaching winter season. Winter has its drawbacks, but it also has many positives. Oftentimes winter gets a bad rap and we tend to forget about everything it offers. If you are not a snowbird (someone who goes south for the winter), you now have a list of fun activities to look forward to this winter.