Quoted: Maintaining Social Connection in Winter

We asked our in-house editorial team at Healthline to share their tips for building and maintaining social connections during winter.

These weather-friendly approaches offer simple ways to socialize, enabling you to be mindful of your energy this winter while creating space for meaningful moments of connection that feel accessible, joyful, and nourishing.

HOST A DINNER PARTY

“My friends and I take it in turns to host an evening meal every week over winter months. Whoever hosts will cook dinner for the others, and we’ll either watch a TV show or play a board game. Keeping it low-key makes it really each to maintain the habit, and it feels like it saves us some money too, instead of constantly trying to find exciting new activities to try.” – Meg

SEND THE FIRST HELLO

“I always try to push myself to go the extra mile to connect with friends in winter, as it can be so tempting to just hibernate away alone for the season. Even small steps like sending a message first or suggesting meeting for a coffee can help maintain those connections that can slip after busy festive periods.” – Lily

CRAFT AND CHAT

“I call a few friends over to do a budget-friendly craft every few weeks. We’ve made crafts like fridge magnets out of old corks and painted small plant pots. I nicknamed it Cookies & Crafts and made a batch of cookies before they came over. We had it around noon on a weekend, so no one had to sacrifice too much of their day or night.” – Samantha

SCHEDULE TIME TO CONNECT

“I love group activities! My friends and I schedule gatherings, such as movie nights and book clubs. It’s especially helpful to have something to look forward to in the winter and meet new people.” – Ari

TRY A VIRTUAL CATCH-UP

“I usually hibernate and have a hard time leaving my warm, cozy apartment in the winter. Phone calls are a great low-effort way to keep in touch with friends and family. It’s not the same fix as an in-person hang out, but I still get a bit of socializing in without having to leave home.” – Morgan

THROW A GAMES NIGHT

“Once a month, my friends and I get together for a good old-fashioned games night! We’ll have an assortment of food and drinks but we get straight to the games. Our group has gotten bigger each time which has been a great way to make new friends.” – Natalie

MAKE IT A SLEEPOVER

“My friends and I host sleepovers where we order takeout, drink wine, and make crafts with reality TV in the background. Recently, we did a paint-by-number, and I swapped the color palette so that I could paint my cat!” – Sarah

PICK UP AN OLD HOBBY

“Recently I decided to get back into old skills I’ve let dwindle the past 20 years from my art school days, and found a group that gets together every 2 weeks for figure drawing gatherings— perfect for winter months indoors. It was motivating to see I could get my rusty skills more polished just in one session of drawing, and meet a lot of motivated folks with shared interests.

I just had to push myself to go to the first event which is the budding of a habit. So shout out for showing up for your past skills & interests even decades later!” – Justin

For many of our editors, the key to socializing in winter is opting for moments of connection that bring you joy, are intentionally scheduled and give you something to look forward to, and feel accessible during the colder days and longer nights.

With the sun setting before many of us have even finished work, hibernating and cancelling plans can feel tempting. However, regular social connections, even virtual ones, can help lift our mood and support our mental and emotional well-being.

Ready to learn how you can put these strategies into practice across your own social calendar? Here are some simple ways to help you build and maintain social connections during the winter season.