Friday Five: Favorite Winter Activities

Good morning, everyone!  We've made it to Friday!  Just one more week, then I'm off for winter break at school.  I'm pretty excited about that, even though we have a lot of stuff planned for the break already.  It'll have come and gone before I know it!

Today, I have one of my district instructional coaches meetings, and everyone is supposed to wear a tacky/ugly Christmas sweater.  I didn't have one, so I bought this beauty at Wal-mart yesterday.

Please excuse the makeup-less face

Should be fun to see what everyone wears!

Ok, let's get on with the post!  As has been the trend around here, I'm linking up with the DC Trifecta bloggers (Courtney, Cynthia, and Mar) with a Friday Five post!

This week's topic is Favorite Winter Activities.

Since I moved to Florida, I have forgotten a little bit about winter.  We don't really have all four seasons here, BUT there are still some things I enjoy doing.  I'll give y'all a mix of true winter activities, as well as "Florida winter" activities, for this list.

1. Looking at Christmas Lights

Looking at Christmas lights around town is definitely one of my favorite winter activities!  Growing up in Richmond, VA, tacky light tours were a big thing!  Some houses go all out (like the one you see above) with their Christmas lights, and people take limo and bus tours to go see all the "big" lit-up houses.  I still love to do this, and whenever I go back to Richmond, this is a must-do!

2. Baking
Particularly around Christmas time, I LOVE to bake!  The sweet treats make great gifts to give to a larger number of people, and I have a lot of fun trying out new recipes along with my go-to ones.  Some things I particularly love to make around Christmas time:
Peppermint Brownies

Red Velvet White Chocolate Chip Cookies

Chocolate Chip Cookie Brownies

3. Traveling to see Family

Because of the holidays, I do a lot of traveling to see family.  This is definitely one of my favorite things to do, especially since I moved 3-4 states away from them after college.

4. Hiking/Going to see Manatees

This is DEFINITELY a Florida thing, but in the winter, the weather is pretty perfect for hikes and enjoying the outdoors.  It's not as hot, but it's still warm enough to be outside in short-sleeved shirts!  One of my favorite Florida winter hiking places is along the St. John's River, which just happens to be where the manatees come for warmer water!

We've gone each January since being in Florida, and it's definitely one of my favorite things to do!

5.  Cooking Warm, Hearty Meals (mostly by using the Crock Pot)
Even though it's not that cold in Florida, winter time always makes me want warm, hearty meals.  I find myself using the Crock Pot a lot in the winter, since most meals I make int here fit that description perfectly!

Some of my Crock Pot favorites:
Chicken and Dumplings (pictured above)
Jambalaya
Simple, Savory Pot Roast
Cheesy Chicken and Rice

This post makes me want to do all of those things this week :)  I hope y'all have a great weekend!  We'll be doing some relaxing this week in preparation for all of our holiday travel.  See you on Monday!

Question for you: What are your favorite winter activities?