Winter Bucket List DIY Craft Idea

Crafting Your Ultimate Winter Bucket List

I love the idea of a winter bucket list! There's something about penning down a medley of activities that turns the bleakest cold days into a playground of possibilities.

While we normally don't get snow in my area, the urge to craft memories and make the most of these shivering months grows strong. This season is not just about surviving till the warmer days of spring; it's about thriving, embracing the season with both arms wide open, and enjoying the candy canes! 

My list usually captures everything from the outdoor activities to the simple pleasure of making paper snowflakes in my living room.  While we make not be having a snowball fight down here, we have a great time planning out our winters.

With each day, there's an opportunity lurking — a reason to step out bundled up or cozy down clad in my favorite sweatshirt. In these months of short days and long nights, our bucket list becomes the heart of our plans.

Out of Christmas and Enjoying Winter

Once we are past the Christmas season, the Christmas tree is put up, the Christmas lights have been taken down, we are are done with baking gingerbread houses, I shift gears into fun winter activities!  Don't get me wrong, I love a good gingerbread house, but I can only do that once a year!

When our daughter started high school, we started making our winter bucket list ideas.  We would each sit and make a list of things we would like to do over the winter holidays.  Then we expanded it to include all the winter months.  We then picked the best things on all of our lists and picked the perfect time to do our favorites.

I am more of an indoors person and my husband is more of an outdoors person, so our bucket list items have a little of each.

Outdoor Winter Wonderland Adventures

There's something truly wonderful about the crisp air that accompanies winter.  The start of the New Year mixed with that winter season just brings about such joy!

Even here in Texas, where we rarely get snow, we do have a few colder months!

Some people love outdoor adventures, like ice fishing or finding an outdoor rink, winter sports, or a sleigh ride.  Others prefer the simplicity of a good snow angel.  Our favorite cold weather activities include being outside with a blanket, a glass of red wine, sitting around fire pits in a neighbor's driveway, while spending quality time with friends and family.

We do love a good annual parade we have here, shopping at markets for local artisans, and going to listen to live music.

Creating Warm Memories Indoors

We have lots of fun with our indoor bucket list items!  Whether it's time to cozy up on the couch for holiday movie marathons to trying new recipes for warm cocktails, there is always something new we do each winter.

And let's talk about the comforting embrace of a warm mug of hot chocolate – it's not just a drink; it's a rich, chocolaty hug in a cup, right?!?!  

Coming fresh off of a hectic holiday season, I often forget about the simple things. So a good bucket list will include quiet items.   Wrapped in my favorite blanket, I get to read a good book.  If it wasn't planned to do, often times I will stay busy and not take time to do this.

Together we try new recipes, make a blanket fort, play board games, do puzzles, make holiday cards, such as Valentine's and Easter, start a new hobby, create seasonal cocktails, and simply enjoy the time together.  It's a great way for us to connect as a family.  

You can also stay indoors, but be out of your house.  Try visiting art galleries, or indoor ice skating.  

​Make A Bucket List Craft

You can make your own winter bucket lists or you can start with the printable that I created for you.  This list is full of some of our favorite winter activities and some that we still want to try one day.  Or you can list your own fun family activities to try this year.  Choose the perfect place to keep these out on display.

To make this craft, you will need:
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• Two Mason Jars
• Paint and Paintbrushes
• Jumbo Popsicle Sticks
• Filler For Your Jars (I went with Poly-Pellets, because they remind me of snow)
• Printer
• Scissors
• Glue

Start by painting the popsicle sticks in the colors you choose.  I didn't want to pull out a lot of paint, so I grabbed two blues, some white and black, and made my own custom shades of blue with them.  Each year we keep our popsicle sticks so we can reuse the ones we want to and make new ones for that year.  As we go through the previous years' activities, so many beautiful memories come up!  It's a great trip down memory lane.

While they are drying, print out the Winter Bucket List.  Cut out the strips of the items you do want to do and glue them onto your painted popsicle sticks.  

Glue your “To Do” and your “Done” labels to the front of your mason jars.  

Fill your jars with your filler – this can be pebbles from outdoors, marbles, Poly-Pellets like I've used, anything really.  And if you don't want to use a filler, you don't have to.

Pick the best place in your home to display your jars and you are done!

Then you get to enjoy your new family tradition of not only making your new bucket list popsicle sticks each year, but have fun moving the sticks from one jar to the other as you complete your fun activities!

Another fun idea on how to do your winter bucket list activities is by painting each idea on a rock. After you do the activity, move your rock to your rock garden. Within a year or two, you will have a fun memory rock garden! Learn more about rock painting here.

Looking for other winter printables?

Check out these ideas from some of my crafty friends.

Homemade Heather – Winter Matching Game

Creatively Beth – Winter Coloring Pages

Smiling Colors – Snowflake Coloring Pages

Artsy-Fartsy Mama – Winter Math Mazes

Tried & True Creative – Polar Bear Maze Coloring Page

Lemon Thistle – 5 Winter Quotes Wall Art

The Crafty Blog Stalker – Winter Search and Find

A Hundred Affections – Winter Greeting Cards

Hand Lettered Printables – Winter Bingo

The Denver Housewife – Snowman Lunchbox Notes

Michelle James Designs – Winter Birthday Invitation – Editable

The Benson Street – Winter Word Scramble

Our Crafty Mom – Winter Printables with a Woodland Theme

PrettyDIY Home – Coffee Mug Printables with Sayings

Southern Crush at Home – Hot Chocolate Bar Sign + The Best Hot Chocolate Mix Printable

Made with Happy – Winter Word Search

Give it a try!

You don't have to have an outdoor ice rink for the whole family to enjoy a winter evening, making a winter bucket list is a lovely way to spend time together as a family.  We have the best time with creating ours.  We start the evening with a cup of cocoa to warm up, then create our lists on how we want to spend our time together until the sunny days of summer months return.  Until next time, I wish you a happy winter and so much fun!  XOXO, Meg