52 Ways to Have an All American Winter

Let’s have an All American Winter! Here are 52 Patriotic Things To Do with your family this and every winter that will get you enjoying some of greatest things this country has to offer! We have flaws, sure, but one thing we do well, is celebrate the seasons! Here’s 52 ideas for an All American Winter! 

Which ones will you do?

Below are so many ideas by month and by category….

play outside, celebrate holidays, embrace new beginnings, get organized, take a digital detox, become a better person…

All of these have roots in uniquely American traditions so whether you are carrying on something you’ve done for years or trying something new, be proud! It’s an All American Winter! Now, let’s play!

American Traditions in December

Roast chestnuts on an open fire: Long before Nat King Cole sang about it in 1949, chestnuts were a staple for a US Christmas dishes throughout the 18th and 19th centuries (They grow all over the Eastern Seaboard)

Drink something festive: Hot chocolate, mulled wine, hot apple cider, egg nog… There are a lot of traditions and stories here (that could be another whole blog post)

Go Christmas Shopping: One doesn’t have to subscribe to a particular faith to partake in the phenomenon we started in the mid 1800’s In the 1840’s newspapers started dedicating advertising to Christmas ads and we haven’t looked back.

Write a letter to Santa Claus or visit him! Santa is truly American! The Santa we know today is an amalgamation of many traditions from many cultures. Of course visiting Santa in the mall is 100% American and started around 1890. (see above)

Bake cookies: OK so the tradition of Christmas cookies goes waaaay back to Midieval Europe but the ‘modern’ (and by modern I mean 1600-1700s US) ingredients of cinnamon, ginger, black pepper, almonds and dried fruit secured Christmas cookies as a thing to look forward every year. YAY! Also, Dec 4th is National Cookie Day so there is your excuse. 🙂

Experience someone else’s holiday and their traditions: From the moment we became a nation, we were a melting pot of cultures and therefore traditions. One thing we do very well is learn about and share those! This year, try something new. Chances are you know someone who celebrates differently then you and there in lies the opportunity to learn a little something and connect with someone in a new way. (Christmas, Hannukah, Kwanzaa, Solstice, Festivus, more I’m probably forgetting…)

READ ALL ABOUT CHRISTMAS ON THE POTOMAC RIVER HERE

Wreaths Across America: Cannot even begin to tell you what a worthwhile event this is. Talk about teachable moments to your children. Check it out HERE. It’s nation wide and in all National Cemeteries.

American Traditions in January

Make New Year’s Resolutions: If you are REALLY into it, translate them into a vision board! I actually don’t know if this is 100% American in origin but we sure do a great job promoting it like it is.

Celebrate New Years: Watch football, watch a parade, (or be a part of one) make noise, watch fireworks, count it down, cheers, sing Auld Lang Syne, and the list of traditions for both ‘Eve’ and ‘Day’ goes on…

Inauguration Day: It only comes around every four years and it’s January 20th. Our Nation’s History in action!

Martin Luther King Jr Day: Third Monday in January. Fun Fact…it’s the only holiday dedicated to a preacher. No doubt about it, he was 100% American. He had a dream and it was a lovely one. May we never forget it.

American Traditions in February

Super Bowl Sunday: American football championships. Nuff Said.

Valentine’s Day: February 14th…the holiday origins go waaaaaay back to the Romans but the first commercially printed cards started coming about in 1700’s and in the 1800’s, the US made it a THING!

READ ALL ABOUT AMERICAN HISTORY OF VALENTINES DAY HERE

President’s Day: I love this day. Established formally in 1885 in recognition of President George Washington. It was celebrated informally (or locally) as his birthday during his life and immediately after his death, on February 22 at Gadsby’s Tavern in Alexandria Virginia.

American History Month: Check local listings to see what events might be happening. Check Netflix to see what movies are playing. Visit local Libraries to see how they are celebrating, fly a flag, look up what happened ‘This Day in History’ every Day this month…Really there are no wrong answers here. Doing ANYTHING to learn about our country is great! Read the Declaration of Independence, Read the Constitution, sorry… this could be (and will be) a whole blog post on it’s own 🙂

Can’t talk about 52 ways to have an All American Winter without talking about SNOW!

Things to do in the Snow

Ice Skating: It dates over 4000 years but America’s own Jackson Haines is the founder of modern figure skating.

Sledding/Snow Tubing: Also an ancient sport and past time but became wildly popular when Henry Morton of Maine mass produced kid friendly wooden sleds with metal runners. It was the 1860’s and we’ve all been sledding since.

Skiing/snowboarding: Skiing has been around a long time too but snowboarding is an American invention. Invented in the 1960’s and made an Olympic sport in 1998.

LEARN ABOUT HISTORIC SKI LODGES OF AMERICA HERE

Build a Snowman or make a snow angel: There’s actually a little bit of dark history here but for now we’ll say it’s been around a long time as a quintessential kid thing to do in winter.

Build a Snow fort or an igloo: Igloos are winter shelters for our most northern residents, the Inuit. Super fun to build in the winter!

Have a snowball fight: I’ve heard the rumor a snowball fight might have ignited the American Revolution. I think probably not but it’s still a good story.

Shovel Snow for someone else: We have long traditions of helping out our neighbor. It builds community and it makes you feel good. Sometimes, it can even be a part time job.

Catch snowflakes on your tongue (and make snow cones and use icicles for straws and all the other fun things we did when we were kids!

25 WAYS TO HAVE AN ALL AMERICAN SUMMER

What if There is No Snow?

Stargazing: Winter has some of the best stargazing. It’s a great excuse to cuddle up and loads of stories. There are some GREAT indigenous ones!

Winter Hike: no mosquitoes, no crowds, just quiet and beauty

Winter Photo Scavenger Hunt: On a hike, on a walk in the neighborhood, a Christmas light themed drive, so many ways to do this

Make your own Snowglobe: Martha does it best

Sled down the stairs in sleeping bags: It happens more years then not at our house. Note: put pillows and blankets at the bottom for soft landings

Make Paper snowflakes:and create an indoor winter wonderland

Make an epic Blanket Fort: NEVER too old for this!

It’s Too Cold-Things to do Inside that will cost you little to nothing!

Crafts! Hey we have a whole series on easy to do Colonial Crafts!! Any supplies you don’t have at home are easily ordered to be delivered HERE.

Cook a meal: maybe even learn a family recipe

Have a discussion with your grandmother or grandfather

Collect clothing or canned goods and donate them

Read a book about America

READ ABOUT WOMEN IN THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION HERE

Research family genealogy

Visit a virtual Museum visit

Start a scrapbook or digital family slide show

Plan a year of ADVENTURE

Group Fun

Plan a family vacation, day trip, excursion. HERE are some super simple ideas!

Make home made valentines: Get out the papers, scissors and glue! Time to make sparkly wonderful punny Valentines!

Have a slumber party, even if it’s your family camping in the living room

Host a football party: It doesn’t matter who is playing as long as there are good snacks.

Calendar/organizing party! compare calendars, wish lists, make sure all the birthdays are on everyone’s calendars. We do it quarterly!

52 WAYS TO HAVE A PERFECTLY ALL AMERICAN AUTUMN

Build Your Entrepreneur (and life) Skills

Nothing says America like a strong Capitalist Economy, amirite? #MERCA While it’s nippy outdoors, shine a warm light on your resume, build your Boss Skills, and prep for all those New Year’s Resolutions!

Babysit: Self explanatory. Earn a little cash and ear a reference or two. Plus, you get paid to play.

Start a blog/Build a website: Everyone is doing it! Do it for fun! Or for Money! There are probably as many reasons to blog as there are blogs out there. HERE is how I did it and you can get all the same deals I did 🙂

Volunteer somewhere: Nothing fills a heart like volunteering. It won’t fill your wallet but it will give you people skills and community is one of those things that was important to the founding folks. AND, it looks great on a resume!

Make a budget: Start your New Year off with some guidelines and set yourself up for success, or help a kid do one.

Take an entrepreneurship class: There are a lot at local Small Business Associations to look into, not to mention all the online courses now available. Don’t forget about community colleges… OH and Stay tuned! I developed a LEADERSHIP CURRICULUM for Children of the American Revolution and I will be adding it to the FREEBIE PAGE when complete!

Visit a college: Get inspired and go visit somewhere collegiate. You never know what you will find! We’ve seen art exhibits, plays, recitals, book signings, architectural tours, churches, guest lectures…

Shadow a person at their job: Shake up your world a little and see how someone else lives and works. You never know what you will learn or who you will meet. The key is to get inspired and see what kind of creativity it unlocks for you.

Write Thank you notes: Grandma said ‘You will never go wrong saying THANK YOU.’ And she was right. Send thank you notes to Veterans, to people who send you holiday cards or gifts, to a friend just for being a friend. It’s a lost art and it means so much.

Learn a new skill: knitting, sewing, needlepoint, calligraphy, macramé, braided rugs, quilting, all of these have fine foundations in American History and will provide you with a new skill AND a great story!

Support Local Business and shop online: We support local business and encourage you to do the same. HERE are some of our partners.

Final Thoughts

With 52 ways to have an All American Winter, you could be getting your winter on ALL YEAR LONG! Do you love a healthy sense of patriotic pride and living the American Dream? Us too! Consider going our mailing list to keep informed of new articles, perks and more!

What have you done or what will you try that is new this winter? We want to know! Tell us in the comments below!