Santa’s helpers, thanks for joining me for my 2020-2021 winter bucket list reveal. Called it my 2020-2021 winter bucket list because I am not sure if this is the winter of 2020 or the winter of 2021. Winter officially starts on 12.21.2020. But then it runs through 03.20.2021. More of the season is in 2021 than is in 2020. So is this winter 2020 or winter 2021?
Either way, I am hopeful that with this season we turn the corner – once and for all – on this dreadful virus. And what better way to snap us out of our Covid fatigue than to create a bucket list full of fun activities?? Plus, making bucket lists or activity lists is good for you. They help us create focus in our lives, push us out of our comfort zone and motivate us to try something new. And sharing our bucket list helps keep us accountable!! But don’t just take my word for it. Check out what the experts say, here.
Before I share that first look at my 2020-2021 winter bucket list, let’s do a final check in on this autumn’s activities.
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Autumn 2020 Bucket List Final UPDATE
Gave it a gallant effort but wasn’t quite enough.
First Seven Activities
- Run 6 miles a week, start workouts from home (home gym?), go on at least one hike – after my parathyroid surgery, it turns out I began having some lung issues, breathing issues. Really struggling lately with getting out of breath. Using an albuterol inhaler and hoping things soon improve. We did set up a mini-gym in our garage. Now to get back to exercising. This is a fail. ❌
- Charcuterie board – loved using my board while my sister and brother-in-law visited over Thanksgiving. We used cheese, fruit, nuts, chocolate and sausage on our board. It was scrumptious.
- Fall decorating and crafts – the house was decorated for fall and now for Christmas.
- “God Made Girl” online painting workshop – painted my God Made Girl angel. Around her wings I wrote “Some angels have crooked wings,” because I cut one of the book-page wings with the writing at an angle.
- Finish mosaic table top – no excuses, just a big red no. ❌
- Learn more about enneagrams – listened to podcasts hosted by Jen Hatmaker, here. Purchased this easy explanation of the enneagram. Have enjoyed pen-paling about enneagrams and other personality tests with my friend Pat at Retirement Transition.
- Duolingo or Mango Spanish language study 3x a week – have achieved a month-long streak by doing this most every night. Sooooo….bam…
Second Seven Activities
- Host fall photo challenge – teamed up with my friends Deb at Deb’s World and Jennifer at Trading Ashes for Beauty to host the #25DaysofGratitude autumn photo challenge. You can see a few of my photos, here.
- Wishtree – set this up on a smallish tree in the park and my neighborhood ran with it. Left all of my supplies for wish-making down there until 12.01.2020. Hoping, praying our wishes come true.
- Bible journal 1x a week – my blogging friend Amy at Amy’s Creative Pursuits inspires me so with her lovely Bible journaling. While I didn’t do nearly the journaling Amy does, I have begun doing this again.
- Painting rocks to share – joined a local rock painting group on Facebook, El Paso Rocks! Had hoped to do this with Cia but Covid has kept us apart. Bumping to winter. ❌
- Best white tee – these are ironed and still hanging in the guest room closet where I promptly forgot them!! Will save this for spring. ❌
- Graphic tees – ordered a couple of cute Christmas graphic tees from Etsy for my sister and me. Then they didn’t come in time for her visit. Really struggled with a couple of orders placed through Etsy this year. ❌
- Fall trends – shared some of my favorite fall looks, right here, just last week, as a matter of fact.
My 2020-2021 Winter Bucket List
As you’ve no doubt noticed, I like to divide my bucket lists into categories. By doing so, I am more likely to plan activities that focus on all areas of life. Rather than just making a rather random list of fun activities, it helps me to strive to be more well-rounded if my lists include something for my body, mind and spirit, too.
Body
- Desert walks and runs – not going to specify how many I do or how far I go. Just need to get back at it.
- Implement schedule for using gym equipment – we bought the stuff, now to use it.
- Massage and facial – at least one of each. I’m looking at you, Woodhouse Day Spa.
Heart
- Slow dance on New Year’s Eve – you probably remember that PC is not a dancer. Oh, he can but he won’t dance. Going to force this issue, though!! If not on New Year’s Eve, then shortly afterward.
- Holiday light scavenger hunt – might be a good Christmas Eve activity.
- Game night with charcuterie board – PC loves Upwords and I love Pictionary, maybe the kids can even come.
Mind
- Craft with Lucia – maybe rock painting or bird feed pinecones.
- Work on mosaic – this makes my list season after season. Someday I am going to finish this thing.
- Finish Winter Wonderland paintings – want to finish my second painting and my sister and I are looking at participating in another of Jennifer Chamberlin’s mixed media classes.
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Spirit
- Return to church – as soon as we feel it is safe, and in the meantime, begin watching online again.
- Read a self-help book – suggestions? Here are a few I am considering.
- Pay it forward – hope to do this in a couple of different ways. Kindercare, where the girls attend ‘school’ is always collecting things for the less fortunate. Most recently a blanket drive. Hope to help them when they have another collection. Lots of great ideas for random acts of kindness, here.
Stomach
- Hot chocolate bar or spiced cider – I love my Mexican hot chocolate recipe!! Have you tried it? Check it out here. Would like to make it and try my hand at some spiced cider, too. My friend Danielle at A Sprinkle of Joy shared this recipe for cider. Sounds like a little bit of heaven in a mug to me.
- Tamale run and tasting – a local AM radio station conducted a poll to find the 10 best places in El Paso for tamales. I want to determine our favorite.
- Try 3 new recipes – thinking at least one cocktail, one main course and one dessert
Style
- Matching holiday PJs – have wanted to do this with the whole fam for a few years but it hasn’t happened. This year is certainly not the year!! So maybe I can start with baby steps. PC and I in matching jammies. Or something matchy for the holidays.
- Two GYPO winter outfit posts – so many great pieces in the Get Your Pretty On winter capsule wardrobe. Look forward to sharing some with you.
- Styling winter dresses – it’s been so long since I’ve had on a dress!! If nothing else, I want to style some from my fashion haus for the blog.
Already worrying that some of these activities may not earn me that coveted green check mark. But I need to remember, it’s the journey!!
Your Turn
What activities have you challenged yourself with this winter? Link up your winter bucket list or activities post below or share in a comment. Then mark your calendar or shiny new agenda to come back on 01.21.2020 to provide an update on your progress.
Have cookie baking on my to-do list for tomorrow. The presents are wrapped. Groceries are purchased. House is decorated. But it doesn’t really feel like Christmas. Will miss the gleeful sounds of little voices this year. Hope there will be joy in your holiday.
Thank you for coming by, my friend. Stay warm and well.
Hugs and kisses,
I love charceuterie boards. Great job on your duolingo…I didn’t do any. I pretty much moved most of my Fall list to winter list because I didn’t accomplish much.
I love your winter list too! Those books all look good so I won’t be much help to you. I did really like Jen Hatmakers Fierce, Free and Full of Fire book.
I’m hoping to join one of the photography challenges, and I just bought an ebook with writing prompts that I want to start in january
A good list – I like the Holiday Light Scavenger Hunt. I got cookies & hot chocolate on my mind for this week as well. Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!
Merry Christmas, sweet friend. Hope there are cookies and hot chocolate in both of our futures!!
Hot Chocolate and Spiced Cider….you are speaking my language! 🙂
The Holiday lights scavenger hunt sounds so much fun! I love going to see holiday lights. I have tickets for some events after Christmas!
Did I understand it correctly that you learn to speak Spanish! I tried that years ago, but it was so difficult. I think it’s such a beautiful language, wished I could speak it.
It would be so interesting to see how far ahead of me you are on Spanish Duolingo! I definitely have some categories that I find ‘easier’ than others!
I’d love to see that mosaic – even though it isn’t completed – maybe the bucket list should be to add one piece to it per week!
Hope you have a happy Christmas Leslie, it will be different for both of us this year with no kiddies around but we have to hope that we can make up for it next year.
Sadly our country is now in a much stricter lockdown, the virus has mutated and is spreading much faster so our area cannot now have anyone else inside your home. We only found out on Sunday so that is millions of people whose Christmas plans have had to change. So disappointing. But it’s important for us all to stay safe so much as I feel like throwing an ‘it’s not fair’ tantrum, I have to realise it is for our own good.
I think you did great on your Autumn bucket list! I look at this lists as less than goals and just a way to add in some more fun and direction to our lives. I hope you are able to get your lung issues cleared up; I was really surprised at how long it took me to feel fully recovered from my surgery. Best of luck on your winter bucket list!
Good luck to us both on our winter lists. I think a couple of opportunities for completing activities have already eluded me…like matching pjs!! Oh, well, there’s next year.
Last year my women’s group at church read The Road Back to You, very interesting! We are thinking of going to church in person on Christmas Eve (well, I’m thinking about it, not sure the boys will be on board). I am hopeful things will return to normal soon, but you’re right about doing fun things in the meantime. I hope you go for your facial and massage and that you and PC share a sweet slow dance!
xo,
Kellyann
Another great list and well balanced. Have a Christmas filled with love, peace and kindness.
Thank you, sweet friend!! Merry Christmas to you and yours!
You have some fun things on this list. I like the light scavenger hunt idea!
Grab the light scavenger hunt and your gang and go see the lights!! Let me know which ones stump you.
This is such an upbeat and inspiring post.
Love the WishTree!
Thank you, Donna. Hope you are enjoying a picture perfect Christmas.
Feeling so related to you! We have some things in common on our bucket list!
Hey, Dennis, what do we both share on our bucket lists? Wishing you luck on yours!!
Awww, thanks for sharing my cider! I will have to check out the Mexican Hot Chocolate, as that sounds amazing. Those watercolor colored pencils look so cool!! I hope that you have a very merry Christmas.
So glad to share your cider. Now to make and enjoy it. Can’t wait. Merry Christmas to you and yours.
Hello Leslie! Thank you once again for making the seasonal bucket lists happen. I hope you had a lovely Christmas and that your winter is off to a kinder, gentler start. I’m looking forward to hearing who has the best tamales! At first I thought you meant an actual run featuring tamales. That would be a terrible idea! 😂Happy winter to you and here’s to a fabulous (or at least more tolerable) 2021!
Ha ha!! A run featuring tamales. We wouldn’t make it very far!! They are quite heavy and filling and about one and I would be too weighed down to run!!
Thank you, Christie, for always joining me for the bucket lists. Of all the bloggers I connect with, you are one of the top gals I would enjoy meeting. I think we would have lots to talk about ad share. Maybe we can figure out something – a theme or series or single post – to do together this year. Thank you for your friendship!!
Oh no, is it too late to do this!! I need to actually think about it, but I wanted to remember to do it! Lol. December is crazy. 🙂
I am sorry you are having breathing issues! Hopefully that ends for you soon.
I love your tamale tasting idea!! I love a tamale and I am sure you have some fantastic spots around you!! And I just told Billy, when it is safe I am booking an appointment for the longest possible massage that I can. I can for sure use one. Or maybe just an entire spa day with my ladies.
Take care!!
Hope you will join me, no matter when you get that list put together.
I hope you had a great Christmas. I need to think about my Winter bucket list…not sure what all to put on it. I do love Woodhouse Day Spa. I’ve been a few times, and it’s so lovely. I hope you can make it there sometime soon!
-Lauren
Woodhouse Spa = heaven in my book!!
I need to add Winter Bucket List to my to do list! So sorry to hear about your breathing troubles after surgery. Your board looks divine! I really like how you divide your lists into groups. I might give that a try this year.
Hope you will link up with your bucket list. My update went live today.
Happy New YEar Leslie!
I certainly hope and pray for a better new year and a faster rollout of the vaccine! I truly enjoyed reading your lists ( I am a list maker- and use a notebook, paper!) `Love your Fall decor and your plans for your home gym. I have a home gym- treadmill, kettlebells, medicine ball, therabands. I have enjoyed using it but make myself do it in morning.
Your watercolor mixed media painting looks lovely! Kudos too on your duo lingo Spanish. Hubby has been using it for Italian.
I am going to post my 2021 goals/persona and blog next Friday. You know I love wearing dresses, but it has been lately, gym wear or joggers. You are making me hungry for Mexican food! 🙂
jess xx
http://www.elegantlydressedandstylish.com
Yay for gym wear and working out. I just this minute ordered a new treadmill. We had one but it was huge and bulky – had to take it out of the window because we couldn’t get it out the door. Sold it and have a lightweight, fold-up model coming!!
I was going to join you with a winter bucket list but then I decided to take off the last two weeks of the year. I’ll have mine up sometime this month. I love the idea of a holiday light scavenger hunt and am pinning for next year! Game nights and charcuterie boards are one of my favorite things to do lately. Checking out your Mexican hot chocolate recipe! I hope you had a wonderful holiday and new years!
Jill – Doused in Pink
Please try the Mexican hot chocolate, Jill!! So yum!!