So...What Do You Do To Cheer Yourself Up?

[Nightingale]

Okay, the holiday season is over. All the relatives have gone home...kids back to school...fun is over and done with.
Does anyone else get the blues when it's all over? It's such a let down when life goes back to the normal routine.

What do you do to keep life interesting and fun during the rest of the cold, dark months of winter?

Me? Well, I clean closets but that isn't exactly fun. I read a lot and I shop at the after Christmas sales...that's always fun.

I have more time to work on hobbies that I enjoy or to work out and honor my new year's resolution.

Okay, I get bored...lol. I get the blah's. On bad days, I sit around and pull the kitties whiskers and make them yowl just for the fun of it.

Anybody else get this way in the bleak mid-winter

[formerlylavender]

I do. I miss the excitement and the Christmas music too. Luckily we have a boatload of family birthdays in January and February, so at least there is a lot going on. Still, it's a sad feeling when it's all over.

[SilverHeels]

I really do not like this time of the year - despite having a bd coming up. I get the 'blahs' and usually resort to choco-binging. Not very intelligent but it works for up to 10 secs after consuming the stuff.

[RM]

Originally Posted by Nightingale

What do you do to keep life interesting and fun during the rest of the cold, dark months of winter?

Watch football.

[charlene]

I get all my tax paperwork/accountings etc. together during these cold days when I don't want to venture outside.. I work out a budget for the next year (ha ha ha! lol - that makes me laff every year..), clear out cupboards/closets/drawers etc, do odd jobs in the house like put up new light fixtures, make and hang a new drapery rod and valance, touch up paint, watch hockey and some tv shows I like, put tons of pics in albums from the last couple of years and try to avoid going outside at all costs.
oh yeah - nearly forgot - I also head to Toronto for a Lightfoot fix at the Tribute shows..

[Nightingale]

Jeez, Char...Can I hire you to be my personal organizer? You are one motivated lady...lol.
Did someone say chocolate? Yes, I admit that if I have the blues, I sometimes munch on M&Ms when I am walking on the treadmill. It's sad.
Well, birthdays in Jan. and Feb. will keep the party going We have tons of birthdays in Dec. I feel kind of sorry for those people. It seems like they always get cheated and whatever birthday gift they manage to get...it's always wrapped in Christmas paper. I don't do that to them, but lots of other family members do.

Football, RM? I am shocked! I thought you would be working out and getting ready to brave the icy rivers with the Polar Bear Club....shoot, I am disappointed
I am also sad. Tony Dungy is leaving the Colts. I will miss him. Great guy.

Pam, I love those puppets...lol. They are hilarious and I could watch his act for hours and never get bored. Brilliant stuff

[timetraveler]

Me, I go digging around through my yarn to see what I've got, and then I start planning out a new blanket. I'd start work on a new quilt, but my sewing machine finally "died" due to being overworked. In the mean time, I've already madea laprug & a blanket out of thin strips of material as an experiment. Also, made two regular blankets out of regular yarn as well. All this this just to keep from going stir crazy. My mum, on the other hand, cleans out things, such as closets, drawers, and entire rooms. Sometimes, when she gets REALLY squirrelly, she'll even,( heaven help us & run for the hills!)REARRANGE THE LIVINGROOM FURNITURE!!!AAAHHHHH!!!

[timetraveler]

And while I'm thinking about it, I don't seriously think that you'd be the type to pull the whiskers on little kitties for fun.

[Auburn Annie]

Well, let's see ... I had lunch with 2 girlfriends yesterday, met with my unemployment counselor this afternoon, and have a mammogram scheduled for tomorrow morning - whoopee! In between I'm doing laundry, shovelling snow, gathering tax records (mine and a sibling's), planning dinner, and letting the dog in and out and in and out. Oh, and trying to convince my 19 year old not to move her wedding up a year earlier than originally planned.

I NEED CHOCOLATE! But my doctor tells me I'm suffering from the dreaded creep (as in weight, upwards) so I'm being good. For now. Not that it helps. Ever.

Back to Dr Phil....

[BILLW]

Originally Posted by RM

Watch football.

Roger that ! Even more when my team (Ravens) is still alive. Plus I still get outside to run (not jog) a few times a week. That gets the old endorphins pumping and I feel great for hours afterwards plus thankful that I can afford heat once I get back home. I find physical activity, even walking, does wonders for my mood in the colder months. Plus I go to work 5 days a week and I always feel better each day at 5PM, LOL.

Bill

[Nightingale]

Hi, Timetraveler...yarn, quilting, making blankets!!! Ooooo, I am envious...really! I love quilts but don't have the patience it takes to sit down and sew. I have tried knitting and it didn't turn out very well...lol. I dropped lots of stitches

Cleaning and moving furniture is more my style but your pass times sound like more fun.

No, I don't really pull the kitties whiskers They are my babies and are spoiled rotten.

Auburn Annie, sounds like you are going through a bit of a time. I hope all turns out well and that you find another good job soon.
Weddings....Yes, a year could make a big difference in the plans. Letting the dog in and out...lol...yes, I know what you mean. I am a door person for the four legged critters around here.
From one 'Annie' to another...hope the new year brings you good things

Bill...running? I am impressed I love to go on walks but jogging really gets to my knees if I do it to much. I walk a lot...love it and it does keep you happy.
I don't know about the work thing..Glad 5PM makes you happy...lol.

Hey, we are a pretty cheery group around here

[timetraveler]

Originally Posted by Auburn Annie

Well, let's see ... I had lunch with 2 girlfriends yesterday, met with my unemployment counselor this afternoon, and have a mammogram scheduled for tomorrow morning - whoopee! In between I'm doing laundry, shovelling snow, gathering tax records (mine and a sibling's), planning dinner, and letting the dog in and out and in and out. Oh, and trying to convince my 19 year old not to move her wedding up a year earlier than originally planned.

I NEED CHOCOLATE! But my doctor tells me I'm suffering from the dreaded creep (as in weight, upwards) so I'm being good. For now. Not that it helps. Ever.

Back to Dr Phil....

Hasn't your doctor read the research on the benefits of chocolate? Chocolate has a substance called theobromine, something like a natural sedative that calms a person. And the best part about it all is that chocolate is legal. Just don't overdo it, otherwise you'll end up bouncing off the walls when the sugar rush is over. Also, according to one group of researchers, chocolate is supposed to be good for your heart. So eat it in moderation I say, and ENJOY!