As the temperatures drop, most of us will spend a lot more time indoors. Between celebrating the holidays and the new year, you may find yourself short of time. However, you’re likely to find you have some free time on your hands when you’re not entertaining guests or attending holiday events. With that in mind, we’ve compiled this list of activities you can do when boredom sets in during the coldest months of the year.

Card Games

Card games are one of the easiest and most entertaining ways to spend time indoors. You can invite friends over for a game night with your favorite games, or if you prefer to play solo, social poker platforms like Global Poker offer online poker games for free, including the most popular variants, such as Texas Hold’em, Omaha, and Crazy Pineapple. One of the best things about playing card games is they don’t require much setup and don’t take a lot of time. Also, most people are familiar with classic card games, so getting started is easy. Winter is a great time to sip hot chocolate while playing these fun games.

Video Games

Gaming is one of the most popular ways to occupy free time, with billions across the globe playing the most popular titles on gaming phones, PCs, and consoles. Winter is the perfect time to revisit the games you didn’t have time to finish during the warmer months or embark on a new gaming adventure.

Whether you choose to get lost in an RPG or engage enemy fire in a first-person shooter, there are thousands of games to keep you entertained. You can also connect with friends and get to know new people if you play games online.

Binge-Watch a TV Series

There’s no better time to curl up on the sofa with a warm beverage and stream TV shows than winter. With so many streaming platforms available, finding the content you like is easy. You can binge solo or invite friends over for a viewing party.

From sitcoms to dramas, there’s something for everyone, and if you have extra time, it’s easy to engage in a back-to-back marathon watching the best TV series available.

Learn a New Language

Have you ever dreamt of traveling to France and speaking to the locals in their native language or understanding the drama of telenovelas? If so, you may want to study a new language this winter.

Technological advances have made it easier than ever to get started on the language learning journey. A good starting point is Duolingo, which offers free courses in 40 languages. The app even offers Klingon, an excellent choice for Star Trek fans.

Once you’ve become conversational in your target language, you can look for language exchange partners on apps like HiNative, Italki, HelloTalk, and Tandem.

Host a Dinner Party

There’s nothing like getting together with friends when it’s cold outside, and hosting a dinner party is one of the best ways to do so. You can choose a theme for the party and ask your guests to bring a dish, potluck style.

If you want to show off your culinary skills, you can cook the entire meal for your friends and ask them to bring drinks and dessert. Whatever you choose, hosting a dinner party is a great way to bust the winter boredom.

Read a Book

Maybe you have a science fiction book you’ve been waiting to get into or a long list of classics you’ve yet to start; if so, winter is a great time to tackle your list of unread books. There’s nothing like getting lost in a fictional world and forgetting about the cold weather outside.