How To Survive A Long Cold Winter

Summary

The article outlines strategies for not only surviving but enjoying a long, cold winter by ensuring access to heat and engaging in enjoyable activities like card games, sledding, and installing an indoor swing.

Abstract

In regions with harsh winters comparable to Alaska or Canada, the author emphasizes the importance of being prepared for the cold by securing a reliable heat source, such as a pellet stove or planning for a wood stove installation. Beyond survival, the author shares personal experiences on how to make winter enjoyable through family activities. These include playing various card games, sledding with durable sleds, and even setting up an indoor swing for the kids. The article encourages readers to embrace winter fully by creating memorable experiences rather than merely enduring the cold season.

Opinions

The author believes that simply enduring winter until warmer weather arrives is a waste of time and suggests actively finding ways to enjoy the season.
They advocate for practical and reliable heat sources like a wood stove, which is independent of electricity and less prone to mechanical failure.
Card games are seen as an effective way to bring family members together for shared fun, with "The Great Dalmuti" being a particular favorite in the author's household.
The author recommends investing in quality sleds for lasting enjoyment rather than opting for cheap, disposable options.
Installing an indoor swing is presented as an innovative solution to keep children entertained during long winters indoors, turning the living room into a makeshift playground.
The author values family traditions such as Friday night pizza, Saturday morning doughnuts, and Sunday morning pancakes with chess, suggesting these activities contribute to a joyful winter experience.

That Is Actually Enjoyable

We live in a location that often captures temperatures equal to that of Alaska, Canada, and even the Dakota’s. I use a few apps that track the weather closely because where we are from, we get temperatures in the winter sometimes in the negatives.

There are two types of activities that we did this year that helped us to accomplish two things. making sure we had access to heat and also activities that made winter enjoyable.

There is only one in the list that is applicable to survival, the rest are activities to make winter more enjoyable, and not something to be just endured.

We made a decision this year, I didn’t want to just endure winter, hoping and counting down the days until life started again when it got warmer. That is no way to live and to be honest, kind of a waste of time, especially since where I live, half of the year is cold weather.

Access to Heat

First off, it is absolutely crucial to have your basic needs met. We do not have your standard heat furnace, we only have a Pellet Stove. We made sure to stock up on pellets that lasted through the season.

We did some research, and are planning to install a wood stove. This does not require electricity to run, like our pellet stove, and is a reliable source of heat, especially if the power goes out. You also don’t have to worry about mechanical failure, all you do is worry about burning firewood, and making sure you have enough to get you through the season.

Card Games

Now onto the fun stuff. With the number of kids that we have, It is always so hard to rally everybody together to watch something on the TV, so instead, we came up with another solution, card games.

This became a quick way to bring everybody together and have fun. There are so many card games available, and it doesn’t take much to get one started. All you need is a deck of cards. One of the games that have become a hit in our home is the game called The Great Dalmuti. Other games that we play are crazy 8’s, 7 up 7 down, golf, and hearts.

Sledding

I can’t believe it has taken this long until we took advantage of sledding. One thing I learned is next time we get a sled, don’t get the cheap plastic inflatable ones, get a good one that lasts. But even with the inflatable sleds that we had this year, there were weeks worth of entertainment for our kids and even me.

Indoor swing

We installed an indoor swing right smack in the middle of the living room. It has been a huge hit this past winter. It’s one of those hanging ones with just one attachment. We installed a hook in the ceiling, the bolts were fastened securely onto the wood rafters. Never thought I would have an indoor playground in my living room, but with five kids, it was so worth it.