Reluctant to spend the winter in front of the TV

[Cats234]

Dawned on me this evening that the weather has definitely changed and I get so bored just being sat in front of the TV all evening. I'm single and have very few friends.
What else do people do in dark cold evenings? I want to try and get back into reading but I find it very hard to focus.

I don't watch much TV in the evenings. My dcs don't get to sleep until late so I'm dealing with them until 9pm, then I spend an hour prepping lunch and dinner for the next day, catching up on chores and laundry and admin, sorting through photos, planning Christmas, booking weekend activities. Doing an OU course as well.

This... as per summer but with a Headtorch !

You could become a Scout or Brownie Leader

Or volunteer with the Red Cross or Coast Guard

Or do a shift at a homeless shelter or an adult literacy class

I’ve never really watched TV. I can’t think of what it is that I do instead… But I lived in the city centre (Paris, London) when younger, so I think I was never indoors much. Now, if I’m out it’s with my kid during the day. But I honestly have no idea where people get the time to watch TV? Maybe it’s me!

I love winter nights and feel much more content. I read, watch TV, batch cook, bake lots of cakes,bread,scones. My evenings involve me not having to step outside the door. I'm going to restart knitting soon.

@Gowlett what do you do on dark cold rainy evenings?

What sort of things do you do in the summer in the evening?

@Octavia64 I've already got a cat and my house is very small. Unfortunately my cat isn't very social so doesn't provide good company.

same here, i don't understand this difference in seasons. I go to my choir, tennis club, swimming, pub quiz, sewing, play piano, read, cook, do Christmas crafts.

Do you have something you enjoy doing that you haven't had much time for and would like to re-engage with? So a sport/craft/activity/hobby you could either do from home or you could do out somewhere (gym, community centre, etc.)? I've found a lot of joy lately coming back to things I loved as a child and doing those again.

What do you do in the summer when it's light out? Could you still do that? Could you do some related activity? So I do a lot of gardening, but there is less of that to do in the winter months, but there is still loads of tending to the garden that needs to happen (and if it doesn't happen during daylight hours, I have to put on a head torch and do it) or planning for next year (organising seeds, mapping out where things go, reading up on topics that interest me).

I'd take a class once or more a week if I had time - yoga class, fitness class, go for a swim at the leisure centre.

Maybe if you want to get back into reading, pick a genre or topic that interests you and choose a few books to read that all are from that genre/topic, or join a book club.

Good grief woman, you're a machine. 4.30am starts for an hour's run AND 4 X knitted blankets?! That's incredible, bloody well done!!

I don’t get home until 7.30, so by the time DD is asleep and jobs done, dinner eaten etc I only get an hour or so TV time before bed.

When I was single I deliberately didn’t get home until later in the eve so it was a shorter time at home. I was often out until 8.30/9pm which definitely helped.

I have a horse though and they take a lot of time. I don’t recommend that. Gym or classes is a better idea!

I go swimming 3 times a week at a place with sauna, steam room and jacuzzi which takes 3 evenings up. Good way to meet people if you want to.

If you like reading maybe join a book club and discuss the books.

Cat

Projects around house

Planning holidays and kids things.

Husband plays piano and is in a piano club, or learn a language or something that interests you.

I joined Wattpad a few years ago. I'm also not big on reading (unfortunately) but I always loved writing stories at school, so now that's what I do on Wattpad, I love it.

Also single but I am dating. I don't watch much TV, maybe 2-3 evenings a week for an hour or two. I usually have 2-3 evenings a week where I don't make plans and then I cook, listen to music, do jigsaw puzzles, call someone. I also have a dog so I have to go for a walk every eveing and that breaks it up nicely.

I still enjoying flopping in front of the TV, but I'm careful to decide what want to watch beforehand and then I switch the TV off straight after. Boxsets, whodunits and new movie releases are for me. I then find a quiet corner with a good lamp and I read. I let myself follow a couple of entertaining YouTubers. One is currently preparing for the long winter nights in the Arctic Circle. That cheers me up, oddly.

Single here too no kids and partner doesn't live here.

I travel around the world on YouTube. I research short good value city breaks and GO. I declutter once a week and bag up for charity/dump. I spend hours online just browsing history things. I don't watch TV, and I can only read in bed or in the train. I don't go out in the evenings, so the above is more than enough to entertain me. Oh and I talk to myself a lot lol so I'm never lonely ha ha.

Join Borrow My Doggy and walk someone's dog - gets you out of the house and away from the awful suffocating feeling of living under artificial light. You'd be surprised at how many other dog walkers are out too, you'll get to know them.

I also craft. However when DH isn’t here I do all my chores in the evening to free up my days. The only difference is you can’t put washing outside to dry.

The very best thing is to join a Community Choir. Such a hoot. We’re doing Christmas songs.

I go to the gym, I’m very lucky to have a gym a 3 minute walk from me which is also a social type gym as it’s run by one guy and he does classes 6am, 9am and 6pm daily. So you get to know regulars etc.

This is a useful and inspiring thread, thanks OP!

The same as I do in the summer...

Monday: Church group
Tuesday: Running Club
Wednesday: Gym
Thursday: Netball match
Friday: Gym then socialize
Saturday: visiting family or movie night in
Sunday: Church 6pm service

It definitely helps to have hobbies you're interested in and to be part of a club or two for motivation/socialising :)

I’m another one who doesn’t do anything differently (apart from wear warmer clothes sometimes).

I run, swim, go for walks, the cinema etc. I have swim coaching once per week and swim in lanes on other nights, run club one evening per week (with head torches in winter, but no other changers). Most
weeks me and partner do a pub quiz. Sometimes eat out, but not much any more.

OP what do you do in the evenings
in summer, and why do you stop in winter?