The festive week which ties Christmas to New Year’s Day is behind us, and with it the blended days bound together by confusion, too little regard for schedules and too much regard for cookies and other baked Noel goodies that tied us over just in time for us to resolve to call overindulgence quits.

It’s time to tuck away these cookies, sweep away balsam scraps and face facts that life’s back to business as hopes and toasts raise to new beginnings and temps plummet to subzero degrees.

While Christmas is a pleasant distraction from my least favorite season – the face-hurting tundra that leads to mud season – with Epiphany brings to me an epiphany that there’s many more months of white – without the Christmas. 

It can be merry and bright if one wants it to be; all we’ve got to do is change our perspective as we change up our layers.

Cranking the thermostat hurts our wallets, but we don’t have to be cranky ourselves.

First and foremost, it’s essential to remind ourselves that days are now only getting longer, and it’s blue skies lookin’ at us from now on – in longer stretches.

And somehow I just can’t shake Irving Berlin lyrics this morning. Anyways.

In my family, I’m outnumbered not only in gender but seasonal preference.

This past weekend, I sarcastically looked back to my children while warming up our freezing minivan – puffs of breath before me – and chattered, “How do you like winter now?”

In unison, they responded, “We love it!”

Perhaps my newborn will see things my way when he’s old enough to make decisions and voice his thoughts beyond babble.

We may all be unified in our love of mustard on pork pie, but when it comes to weather love, we’re a precipitous mixed bag.

Good thing. We live in Maine – We get it all.

But until we’ve reached solace with summer solstice – and that longest day is months away – we can still make the most of the frigid season before us.

Particularly with kids, there are many things to do to avoid all-out cabin fever.

Most of it can be done for little or no cost, little or no travel, and my favorite – little or no screen time.

Boo yea!

And much of it can be accompanied by massive quantities of hot cocoa. 

You knew there was a reason for all the surplus candy canes, right? And extra marshmallows, please.
So without further ado, some winter-doldrum-fighting to-dos for you:

• Make snowflakes and decorate your home that’s been newly stripped post-Christmas decor.

• Suit up and sled.

• Make a snowman. Dead found maple leaves make for fabulous eyelashes.

• Play board games; teach yourselves new ones.

• Teach your tots to bake.

• Teach your tots to cook. In both instances, challenge yourselves with a new rather than traditional recipe so it’s novel to you both.

• Cover your kitchen tables with paper, grab your paints and craft away.

• Enroll your children in swim lessons – Yes, there’s cost, but it’s also a crucial life skill. And winter’s the best time to learn so summertime can be spent outdoors.

• Go bowling.

• Roller-skate at an indoor rink.

• Ice skate at an outdoor rink.

• Read a book. Bonus points for winter-themed titles you can check out from your library.

• Snowshoe.

• Build a snowfort; have a snowball fight. Set your ground rules when you set your snowballs.

• If it’s too cold, build an indoor fort. Super forts are fabulous when concocted with the makings of pillows, blankets, and couch cushions.

• Hike trails.

• Cross-country ski.

• Make a pine cone bird feeder; coat it with birdseed and peanut butter. Enjoy watching the flutter of birds treat themselves outside your window.

• Make snow angels. It doubles as a magical way to watch the snow fall.

• Enlist your kiddos to help shovel – buy a colorful kid-sized spade and find a light patch they can help dig out.

• My favorite: Camp out indoors. Living room tenting is a temperature-controlled blast. Make s’mores in the microwave, pop on an old classic – our boys love to tent while watching Mary Poppins – and get cozy. Don’t forget the popcorn.

• Plan your garden. I couldn’t advocate more for the sustainable and healthy life lessons that come with this. Whether your garden is limited to a window-side pot of herbs or something more elaborate, getting your greens game plan is a super way to dream spring.

• Volunteer your time – but let your kiddos pick the cause. Giving should be personal and voluntary.

Find out what is important to your tots and how they’d like to give.

Embrace your inner child and get to fighting winter blues with so many checklist things from which to choose. Before you know it, winter will be a wrap – a season wrapped in memories, that is. So sled on, or stay in. There’s plenty to do either way.

And there’s always hot cocoa.

— Michelle Cote is creative director of the Journal Tribune and a nationally-syndicated columnist. Rocking out to the classics in her minivan with husband and three sons is totally her jam. Contact her at TheRookieMama@yahoo.com.