Winter is a time for settling into a slower, sleepier pace and easier lifestyle. You’ve made it through the holiday madness, smiled through every ugly-sweater party and Christmas photo, and now you’re ready to claim what’s due: downtime, as in stress-free hours spent nestled under a down comforter in your Leland’s Cabins hideaway.
While winter in Texas is a whole different experience than in the ice kingdoms of Maine and Montana, it’s still a season that’s perfect for cozy family time and comfort foods. We’ve compiled some of our favorite ways to embrace wintertime in your Texas log cabin, so you can spend these chilly months making warm and enduring memories.
Let the Games Begin
We offer nine styles of modular cabins for you to choose from. And while our smallest ones make great getaways, we recommend some of our mid- to large-size cabins for families. Models like our 704-square-foot Settlement Harbor all the way up to our 1,288-square-foot Ponderosa provide vaulted ceilings and open living spaces for you and your kids or guests to gather for quality “together time.” And we think those spaces are perfect for playing board games.
Our new favorite is Codenames, where spymasters provide one-word clues to tip off teammates to guess the right words on the board, while at the same time dodging words that belong to the opposing team. It’s easy and amusing and provides plenty of laughs as the spy teams duke it out. Or try Werewords to add a little spooky element to your time in the woods. Using deduction and bluffing, as well as a little 20 Questions, players have to guess the magic word via yes-or-no questions before a timer runs out. It’s great for laughs, as each player is assigned a role they have to keep secret, including one who is the Werewolf and works to trip up everyone else.
For keeping the kids happy, Flashlights & Fireflies makes an appropriate board game for cabin time. Calling itself “firefly-powered flashlight freeze tag,” the game’s players must catch fireflies to power up their flashlights. The first to reach home wins in this game for ages 6 and up.
And since the goal of your cabin getaway is to relax, don’t miss out on your chance to play the Bob Moss Art of Chill Board Game. Based on the PBS painting guru and featuring 30 of his art pieces, the game’s goal is to finish one of Bob Ross’s masterpieces before he does and accrue “chill” status. You can earn “chill points” by painting landscapes and things using colors and brushes from your cards.
Keep Your Head in the Stars
While the weather outside could be frightful, not all of your cabin activities have to be indoors. And since 2018 promises to start off with some amazing celestial events, consider setting up a telescope on your cabin porch or yard and exploring star-filled skies. Winter nights are often cloud-free, and since you’re tucked away from city lights in your cabin hideout, you should be perfectly set up for dazzling displays. The year starts off with a Super Moon, Blue Moon, and Lunar Eclipse in January, as well as a Planet Parade by March.
Relax with a Good Cuppa Cocoa
Your cabin escape doesn’t have to leave you stuck at the stove. While cooking comfort foods can be satisfying, we think cabin living should mean easy living. So when you want to chase away the winter blahs, do it with style and simplicity. Pre-mixed cocoa packets offer delicious and warming treats that can be ready in minutes. But you can bump it up a notch with two special words: gourmet marshmallows. Viveltre, which bills itself as the “world’s best marshmallow,” bases its marshmallows on a traditional French recipe and makes its special flavors in small batches. We love the Salted Caramel Marshmallows, but you can select Ultimate Smores, Midnight Fantasy (infused with Nutella), Whiskey Orange (made with Jack Daniels), and lots of other choices. Winter never tasted so good.
Don’t Forget Your Feet
Leland’s prefab log cabins are Texas made and Texas proud. And one of the features we’re proudest of is our wood plank flooring. Smooth and sturdy underfoot, we offer Precious Highlands textured wood or SpringLoc handscraped plank floors in four color choices. We recommend walking barefoot for ultimate satisfaction. However, during the winter months, you can enjoy our wooden wonders through socks. And we suggest you go for style. Check out the variety and quality of socks offered by Uncommon Goods, from dog breeds to tacos to little green army men and even sushi rolls.
Soak. No Joke.
Some people will pay hundreds of dollars to get away from the daily grind and escape to a spa retreat. But with one of our Texas-made modular cabins, luxury comes with affordability. Our cedar soaker tub lets you relax and forget about your worries, and it’s a standard fixture in one of our most popular cabins, the 1,536-square-foot three-bedroom and two-bath beauty we call The Lodge. This master suite has to be seen to be believed: double sink, separate powder room, stand-up shower, and that luxurious soaking tub. And adding to our cedar tub’s allure, research published in the journal Temperature recently found that taking a hot bath for one hour produced similar anti-inflammatory and blood sugar responses as one hour of moderate physical activity. Grab your towel and race for that tub!
Winter is a winner as far as Leland’s is concerned. We hope you’ll stop into one of our cabin showrooms and take a look at some of the best manufactured cabins Texas has to offer. For chilly nights, for time spent snuggled under warm blankets, for hibernating like bears with cups of hot cocoa and marshmallows, Leland’s Cabins wants to make your winter memories warm and comforting.