our boston winter 'bucket list'

As we gear up for our last winter in Boston, I'm starting to get a teensy bit panicky. There's so much to do, and so little time, as they say. We'll be heading up to Canada at the start of summer, and I don't want to spend this entire winter cooped up, pining for summer. So here's a list, just like our summer bucket list. This list will be considerably shorter than our summer one, but Boston still has so much to offer when it's cold. We've crossed a few of these items off our list already, but I'll include them anyway, in case you want to add them to your own Boston list!

Take in all the Christmas lights and decorations throughout the city- Thanks to this gloriously warm weather, we've gone into the city a few times during this Christmas season. Silas and Delia have both been in awe of the colorful lights in the Boston Common, the giant Christmas tree by Fanueil Hall, and all the festive decorations on the home and storefronts in Beacon Hill.

Go on an ice-skating date with Silas at the Frog Pond- I think this is the year he's finally ready to get out on the ice. He's exclaimed to me a few times, "I *might* fall, but I'll be okay!" 

Head up to New Hampshire to see the magical ice castles- I've been wanting to do this for a few years, and since it's less than three hours away from us, we'll probably make a whole day out of it. 

Hit up an improv show at ImprovAsylum - We now have a really awesome babysitter, so we'll be going out on the town as much possible. We'll probably grab something spicy and warm to eat on Hanover Street (the Italian district) before heading over for a show. 

Visit the Institute of Contemporary Art- I've been wanting to visit a few museums, but have been saving our visits for winter days. I'm not a huge museum girl, but Boston has so many to offer, it feels like a waste to not visit any while we live here.

Grab lunch at Boston Public Market- We love this brand new year-round indoor farmer's market, and I think we'll be heading here a lot over the winter for fresh produce, and local eats. Union Square Donuts and Bon Me are two of my favorite restaurants in Boston, and they also have booths here, so I might just camp out for the winter. 

Try out the Blue Hills ski area- It's been years since I've skied, so this terrifies me a bit. But Chris has wanted to do this each winter, and we don't live far from this ski area, so we might have to try it out this year!

Grab a cup of hot cocoa (mint nutella? ginger infused? white chocolate chai?) at one of these spots- I found this list of bakeries and coffee shops offering tasty variations on hot chocolate, and I'm ready to go do a whole tour right now. Yum. 

See the Nutcracker Ballet with Chris- We did this a few weeks ago, and I think it's a must for anyone around Christmas-time. Such a fun excuse to get dolled up, and it's almost worth it just to see the beauty of the Boston Opera House itself. 

Go to a BlueMan Group show- We just can't leave Boston without seeing a BlueMan group show. 

Bake through our Flour cookbook-- Flour Bakery is one of our favorite places to stop for breakfast before church in Cambridge. We bought the Flour cookbook recently, and are pretty excited to try our hand at making our favorite sticky buns, donuts, and pastries right here in our kitchen. I'm afraid to even glance at a scale this winter. 

That's the extent of my list so far, though I'm sure more activities will crop up that beg to be added. What would you add in that I forgot?