The sun begins to set a little earlier, the temperature begins to drop and the leaves start to fall from the trees. These are all signs that winter is on its way and with it the amount of outdoors activities begins to decline.

The green fields that people would play football on during the summer have become muddy and less appealing for the casual player. Instead we seek refuge indoors, in the warm, where the weather won’t affect us. We have taken a look at ten ways you can spend your evenings indoors  as we head into winter that includes everything from watching Game of Thrones to playing bingo games.

Films & TV

Granted watching one film wouldn’t be enough, but maybe the entire extended Lord of the Rings trilogy will last as long as winter, or even watch every series of Game of Thrones and keep shouting “Winter is coming!” until the Spring returns the following year.

Read a book

There are probably people who find reading a book boring, but when your outdoor activities become more and more limited, settling down with a good book can be a nice relaxing alternative. You can sit in the warm, make yourself comfortable and just forget about the outside world as you get lost in a fantasy world.

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Bake

By the time winter arrives, the Great British Bake-Off will be over and with it, your baking enthusiasm may have waned but winter can be a great time to test out your baking skills. You can make some gingerbread men or make some Christmas cake and give some to those that need to stop being a Scrooge.

Plan your summer holiday

What better way to make yourself feel warm than to plan your summer holiday? You get to look at all of the sunny destinations and work out where the best location is to get a tan. If you want to make it feel more summery as you research locations, make a nice summer cocktail. You can also work out a plan to get that beach body you’re bound to be wanting come summer.

Ice skating

If you’re someone who actually enjoys the cold dark winters then you could give a winter sport a try. Ice skating can be good for both a workout and for being romantic with your partner.

If it’s your first time trying it, make sure to take it slow. It’s not an easy sport to try, and injuries are common amongst beginners.

The pub

You could always treat winter like a zombie apocalypse. Just go to the Winchester, have a pint and wait for all of this to blow over. You’ll probably be kicked out of the pub at some point if you wait until winter is over. So perhaps just spend an evening in there having a few drinks and catching up with friends.

Games

Whether you enjoy playing the latest game on a console or enjoy sitting down to play a board game, games are a great way to pass the time. You can stay in your own home and let out a little bit of competitive energy. You should remember not to overdo it. No one wants broken console controllers or the game board to be flipped over.

Music

Spend some time listening to your favourite music artists and create some playlists to make the time fly by. If you listen to music while planning your summer holiday, you can also create a summer playlist to really distract you from the impending winter nights.

Puzzles

If you want to give your mind a bit of a workout then you can get stuck into some brain teasers. Most newspapers usually have a section dedicated to crosswords, Sudokus and word searches. Failing that you can always step outside and find books specifically for these brain teasers to have even more fun.

Bingo

Something that has embedded itself into British culture, Bingo is a great way to spend an evening as winter approaches. It’s a great way to socialise with your friends and provides you with the opportunity to make new ones too. There is also the potential for you to win some Christmas spending money along the way.

How do you plan to spend your evening indoors this winter? Do you have any plans?

*Collaborative post.