As a kid, I always enjoyed the winter season. Although I have never been a fan of the cold weather that comes with the season, I enjoy the activities that I participate in, both indoors and outdoors. Growing up in a small town is one of my favourite things about my life, but when I meet people from the city, they are confused about why I would love a place with “nothing to do.” There is much more to do in a small town than most people realize, especially in the winter. Below are a few examples of my favourite winter activities.
Snowmobiling
Although I do not own a snowmobile personally, I know a lot of family and friends that do. There is nothing better than waking up in the morning to see enough snow on the ground and getting to pull the snowmobile out of the garage. One of my favourite memories as a kid was when my Aunt and Uncle took me, my brother and my cousins, out on the sled that was pulled by a snowmobile. It was such a fun and exciting afternoon that I could never forget.
Tobogganing
There is one location in town that has become the central tobogganing place that all the children go to. Even when I was a kid, this was the place where everyone went. Now, you can go tobogganing in the city, but there is nothing better than showing up on a Saturday afternoon, where everyone you know would already be there. I think that is what I like best about small towns. Everyone knows everyone, and you always see people you know every time you go outside. As a child, this was my favourite activity and I can’t wait to have my children experience it one day.
Skating
In my town, we go skating in the arena. Similar to the tobogganing hill, everyone was always there. For a couple of years before that, it was a place for just me, my brother and a few kids from school. It quickly became our hang-out spot for all our friends, and that never really changed until we got into high school. I think this activity was special to me because it was something I did with my friends every week, without being interrupted by other individuals. It was just our special time to enjoy the little things in life, like spending time together and making memories.
Giant Snowball Fights
Once a month or so, the town kids would gather together and have a giant snowball fight throughout town. There would be teams, home bases and snacks at someone’s house. We would run all over town, playing and making plans to attack as if we were playing a game of ‘Risk.’ This activity is one of the reasons why I love small-town life so much. We were able to play all over town, run through neighbours’ backyards and everyone always came out.
Something about the small-town life makes these activities feel different. They can be played anywhere, city or town and it’s not just a few friends from school participating. Everyone in the community is involved and that is what makes the experience so much better.