5 ways to keep yourself entertained in winter. (And avoid succumbing to the there’s-nothing-to-do-blues.)

This post is brought to you by The Australian Ballet and eHarlequin.

Australians love their sunburned country.

We are a nation that spends all year hanging out for summer. Our national pastimes include swimming at the beach, lazing at the beach and beach cricket. Unfortunately, when it comes to winter, none of these activities seem quite so enjoyable anymore.

Here are five ways you can keep yourself entertained throughout winter and avoid succumbing to the there’s-nothing-to-do-blues.

Pretend you live in Europe.

Look, we’re never going to have a White Christmas in July. But just because you can’t have spontaneous snowball fights with your kids, and your local lake doesn’t turn into a sheet of glittering ice as the months get colder, it doesn’t mean you can’t pretend to hail from colder climes.

One of my favourite winter activities is to rug up, wrap a chunky-knit scarf around my neck and find my local ice-skating rink. It might seem counter-intuitive to head from the cool temperatures outside to the even colder temperatures inside the rink but trust me. You get warm FAST. Ice-skating is even more fun than you remember it being as a kid, it gets you moving and most ice-skating rinks I have ever visited play 80s pop classics on repeat.

Win/win/win.

Get some culture.

During the summer months, it’s hard to justify doing anything indoors. The nights are balmy, the air is fresh and the barbeque is just waiting to be fired up. During winter, however, indoor activities are where it’s at.

The Australian Ballet has a new performance on this season, which many members of the Mamamia team have already seen – and loved. Imperial Suite is a double bill showcasing The Australian Ballet’s glittering classical technique and it’s been described as “New York style and Parisian chic”. Go out for a night with your girlfriends, or have a romantic dinner with your partner beforehand, and enjoy a glamorous night at the ballet with tickets to Imperial Suite.

Indulge a little (or a lot).

In summers, it sometimes feels too hot to eat anything but a salad, or drink anything but a cold beer. In winter, the culinary world heats up.

For those of you who enjoy cooking at home, try out a new recipe that you’d like to add to your repertoire. Not only is that an afternoon well spent inside, but friends and family will undoubtedly shower you with praise after you share your delectable masterpiece with them.

For those of you who despise slaving away in the kitchen, find a new café or bar serving mulled wine or hot apple cider. There is nothing I love more in winter than sitting with a fragrant, steaming mug of either of those beverages in my hands.

Curl up and read a good book.

How long has it been since you sat down and devoured an entire book in one afternoon? With work/kids/the constantly connected world we live in… probably a really, really long time. This winter, set aside some time just for yourself, grab yourself a cuppa and some bikkies and read a novel. You won’t regret it.

When comfort reading, I always like to return to old favourites like Jane Austen and Virginia Woolf. But if you’re looking for a new novel to sink your teeth into, the debut novel from K.M Golland – Temptation – is supposed to, ahem, heat things up. As the title suggests, this is a book about intense chemistry, cat-and-mouse affairs and forbidden love. It’s available in both print and ebook from Harlequin MIRA imprint, so you know exactly what you’re getting with this one.

Want to win an iPad mini? Read an extract of K.M.Golland’s Temptation for your chance to win! CLICK HERE.

Get out of town.

If you can’t head towards the beach, why not head inland?

I recommend booking a mini-break in the country, or even a day trip out of town and going bushwalking. Hiking up hills and almost-stumbling down gullies might seem like an activity better suited to spring but it’s almost even better in winter. Whereas in the warmer months you will find yourself dripping with sweat before you’ve made it to the top of the first incline (well, you will if you’re terribly unfit like me, anyway), as it cools down you will relish working up a little bit of a sweat.

Plus, the view will be so worth it.

Time for some winter fun, make sure you give these a try…

What are you going to get up to this winter?