Curing Cabin Fever Tired Of Dreary Weather? Winter Can Be A Great Time To Start New Hobbies, Activities

Welcome to the dreary zone. That time of year when only a smattering of evergreen wreaths and holiday lights remain and the promise of spring is yet months away.

If you’re not a winter sports enthusiast, the long, cold stretch of January to March is drudgery. At our house, like many, the post-holiday season evokes a love/hate relationship. One minute, relishing the firelight after a day of sledding in North Idaho and the next, cussing out muddy footprints on a clean floor.

Children, it seems, are especially susceptible to emotional crash and burn after all the excitement of the holidays. Thankfully, there are several ways to bridge the gap between the holiday high and the spring thaw.

Think of helping others. During the holidays, much of the focus is on giving. Keep the momentum. Kids can shovel snow or help make a grocery run for an elderly neighbor. Decorate an evergreen for the birds with strands of cranberries, popcorn and pine cones rolled in suet and birdseed. Create valentines for grandparents, schoolteachers, the postal carrier, the family physician and other people important to your child.

Consider volunteering at a shelter or soup kitchen. “We’re dependent on donations in November and December to carry us through the winter months,” says Ann Price, development manager for the Spokane Food Bank. “It’s always nice when people realize our service continues year round.” The food bank’s emergency food program feeds 13,000 people a month, and another 20,000 individuals are fed through sister agencies such as Crosswalk. Kids are welcome to help out, Price adds, thanks to a new community project room uniquely geared to groups of children and families.

Plan a winter celebration. Suggest an “around the world” block party, sampling foods from different countries at each house. Invite friends and family over for “stone soup.” You provide the chicken or beef stock, bread and beverages and everyone else brings ingredients for the soup. Or, to borrow an idea from Julie Miller of North Spokane, have an indoor picnic and movie fest. Spread sandwich fixings, chips and dip and other goodies on a tablecloth on the living room floor. It’s a freefor-all, as kids create their own meal.

Take advantage of the cold and cuddle up. Spokane resident Gaye Shumaker created a “power out” game, harkening back to an experience she had as a little girl. “I’ll never forget the feeling of closeness,” she says. “The power went completely dead, so we lit candles and snuggled in one room. And for dinner, we ate cheese, crackers and salami.” She’s modified the game to suit her two young sons, using flashlights instead of candles and adding shadow stories and songs.

Get a taste of spring. Armchair gardeners and budding green thumbs can plan the perfect garden while browsing through seed catalogs. Take a cue from Martha Stewart and plant a winter window box, bursting with dwarf junipers, climbing vines and other greens. Bask in the warmth of Manito Park’s greenhouse or visit a nursery.

Take up a new hobby or revisit an old one. Enrich a child’s imagination with art or music classes. Or get physical. There are plenty of ski and sledding hills nearby, such as Mount Spokane or Lookout Pass Ski Area. If you’re up to a mini-adventure, check out areas near Leavenworth and the north shore of Lake Chelan. Sandpoint Winter Carnival runs through Jan. 29.

And if you can’t afford the time or money to leave the area, play tourist in your own town. Check out offerings at museums, galleries and theaters. Or take advantage of winter rates. For example, through March 30, $70 buys a room for two nights, Jacuzzi, afternoon tea and breakfast at Waverly Place Bed & Breakfast near Corbin Park in Spokane. Cavanaugh’s Inns also has special room rates for Inland Northwest residents through March 15. Children stay free.