February! ideas of things to do for winter fun

february!

karen klucowicz • February 2, 2021

choose your words wisely — funk, blues, fun...

City skyline

Photo By: John Doe

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Birthday Sparks

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Isn’t fun a much more inspiring word than funk?! or blues?!

Well I am doing my best to ensure that this February does not fall in to the funk category for me, and hopefully I can inspire others to stay out of that zone as well. At this time of year, I am usually out of the country at, or preparing to leave for, a creative retreat. Yes the destination would be sun and heat. I’m not a winter person - I am most definitely Canadian but it is a season I’ve never found a way to embrace lol. So this year is a real challenge for me in terms of dealing with our pandemic restrictions and lack of travel. I am determined to keep my general level of optimism and enjoyment of life up!

missing the sun this year

You are probably aware of how this month affects you as well. Do you know how it affects your team or members of your family? Can you help yourself (if you need it) or others if you’re aware of it, to keep the spirits high? I’m going to share some of the things I’ve planned, a few thoughts on ways I try to keep my spirit up, and the path of optimism I’m following. See what it inspires for you. Share your suggestions and let’s get through this together!

glass half full

I am quite sure our virtual world is here to stay for a while. I know many of us have to be online for meetings and business a lot these days, however when you’re getting together for fun and seeing faces of people you miss and want to be with, it’s a totally different environment to be involved with. Of course it does not take the place of actually being together but it gives us the opportunity to connect and enjoy each others’ company.

. virtual birthday party! One member of a group of friends that I travel with to Mexico each year, suffers from SAD and so we decided to give him an online party for his birthday (which yes, we have traditionally celebrated in Mexico). Here’s what we did - I hosted an online fiesta, did a curbside drop off to each of the group of Mexican cuisine and a basket of margaritas, glasses, & limes complete with a pinata, party hats, birthday cake & candles! We had dinner online together. During the dinner, we had Spanish music in the background, shared a slide show with memes of past trips and a list of aquarius personality traits [comparing how his personality aligned (or didn’t)] lol. We had a great time and at least felt like we were together to celebrate his special occasion.

staying connected

. games . interactive and social time on line - I’m not a ‘gamer’ but I do know a number of people who participate in a community of online gaming that keeps them connected - the type of games I’ve participated in have been trivia, drawing and word play. The group was able to interact by voice and the game was played on screen and keyboard.

. cocktails or coffee? I participate in a meetup group of Hamilton professionals that is a great wrap to the week - a bit of networking, advice and sometimes just general chitchat, I also have occasional virtual coffee or cocktail meets through the week with family or friends.

City skyline

Photo By: John Doe

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Birthday Sparks

Photo By: John Doe

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Fashion Magazine

Photo By: John Doe

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. art experience. as you may or may not know I personally conduct virtual drawing and painting sessions. I have a lot of fun doing these and they have always been well received so I am sharing them with some of my friends as well.

. impromptu video calls. pick up your phone and do a video chat with a friend! Doesn’t have to be prearranged - think of it as the old ‘telephone’ calls to touch base.

food & beverage events

. online dinner party. another group I connect with regularly are friends with whom the usual get togethers were dinner parties or just parties so we’ve arranged themed dinner parties on line - everyone does their own thing in the kitchen but we swap recipes or menus and have a chance to catch up

. wine tasting. being in this region of Ontario and so close to wine country I have been on a number of tours and tastings. This can happen just as easily online. Pick a few wines that are sold everywhere and featured in your province/country and everyone can taste and discuss at the same time.

. mix it up! one weekend soon I’m hosting an online cocktail party - everyone is to pick a favourite beverage and share the recipe for it (of course we’ll enjoy them while chatting about them) and I’ll pull the recipes together in a book form for everyone.

. movie nights / book clubs / artists salon. I have a friend who hosts shared movies and the people watching can comment throughout; another hosts a book club and they even have guest authors attend! I host a salon biweekly where artists, writers, art enthusiasts and thinkers get together to talk about various topics in creativity, from questions like “who decides what art is?” to definitions of sexy, erotic and pornographic! it’s one hour short and thought provoking for days... (all are welcome and it’s free to attend!)

. travel meme chain. forward a favourite holiday meme to friends and have them reciprocate. Actually just send a selfie or a pic of your little one or a pet to someone (may just put a smile on their face!).

. gratitude chat. well it’s said time and again we should acknowledge small and great things that we are grateful for and sharing it in a text group or similar keeps us mindful

. courses, workshops, hobbies, podcasts, museum tours online.... there are sooooo many options (and many many that are free) to enjoy and keep yourself busy [as you can see from the above lol]. Really, we are very lucky. In fact, there are a number of events I’ve attended online that I doubt I would have taken part in if I’d had to travel to get to them!

the blues & funk are beautiful music genres — enjoy them that way!

Oh I’m sure you’re inundated with many a how-to for self care in terms of exercise, balancing your diet, go off-line if you need to, etc etc but do add some of these to the list so that there will be fun and games ‘til the world heals.

Don’t let February ‘blues’ be your theme, make it a time to celebrate opportunities and live life as fully as we can right now. I intend to. Yes, you can hold me accountable, I need that ! lol.

Fun in 2021 !!

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