We asked readers what hobby helps them beat the winter blues. Here’s what you told us, lightly edited for clarity:
“Birding gets me outside.”
— John Heneghan
“I make handmade fishing lures. Satisfies being creative and dreaming of me or someone catching the big one.”
— Rick Mobley
“Volunteering at the zoo.”
— Kate Niedner
“Cooking, baking, playing ukulele, catching up with friends, walking my dog in different places.”
— Joe Lilly
“The gym is your best defense, along with getting out walking when it’s not too icy.”
— Tara Goodwin
“Legos and playing Dungeons & Dragons at Uptown Taproom. One is meditative and centering. The other is to stay social and build up essential ‘winter padding’ with good beer.”
— Beaumont Sebos
“Gunpla. I enjoy building small plastic models from the Japanese anime show Mobile Suit Gundam.”
— Evan William
“Staying at home baking or meal prepping.”
— Sarah Morgan
“I took up candle making this winter. I have been pouring them in blue mason jars, buttery yellow egg cups, green glass drums that are vintage juice glasses, squatty hexagonal vases, anything interesting I can get my hands on. And I scent them with grapefruit and orange natural oils. It’s a fresh ‘wake up to your life’ scent for a new year.”
— Cee Stiel
“I paint one room ahead of spring.”
— Martin Urbanczyk