Have a winter picnic with a thermos

A winter picnic sounds like a bad idea until you try it. Pick the sunniest hour of a cold day, bring something hot and wrap up. It is short on purpose, and the contrast is the point: warm soup, cold air, low sun. You can plan it in ten minutes and it makes an ordinary weekend feel like something.

Pick your time and place

Start by choosing the time, because it matters most. Go in the sunniest, warmest hour, usually around midday. Winter sun is low and sets early, so don’t leave it to the late afternoon.

Then choose the place:

• Sun and shelter. A south-facing bench, a wall that blocks the wind or a spot under bare trees. Wind makes a cold day feel much colder.
• Somewhere easy. A park, a backyard or a lakeshore close to home. You don’t want a long walk with a heavy bag.
• Somewhere dry. Avoid wet grass and damp benches. If the ground is wet or snowy, bring something waterproof to sit on.
• An exit. Pick a place near a cafe, a car or your front door, so you can leave if you get cold.

Check the forecast the morning of. A cold, clear day is ideal. If it’s raining, snowing hard or very windy, wait for another day.

What to bring

Beyond the thermos and the blanket on your list, pack for being outside while still.

• A thermos of hot soup, stew, chili or pasta, and a second one for cocoa, tea or something warm to drink
• A spoon or fork and a mug or cup. Plastic ones go brittle in the cold, so bring sturdy ones.
• Food that is easy to eat with gloves on: bread, a sandwich, cookies, fruit or a bar of chocolate
• A waterproof sit-mat, or a folded plastic bag under a rug, to stop damp coming through
• A second blanket, or a large scarf for your shoulders
• A thick coat, a hat, gloves with a thin pair underneath and warm socks
• Hand warmers, if you like them
• A bag for your trash

Alcohol is optional. If you bring any, remember that it’s only for people 21 and over in the US, and that it makes you feel warm while your body loses heat.

How to do it

1. Heat the thermos first. Fill it with boiling water, close it for five minutes, then pour the water out and fill it with piping hot food.
2. Pack the food in the order you’ll eat it, with the soup on top.
3. Walk to your spot and set down the sit-mat first, then the blanket.
4. Sit close to a friend and share the blanket.
5. Pour the hot drink first. Hold it with both hands for a minute.
6. Eat slowly. Taste the heat.
7. Stay for half an hour or so. When your toes start to complain, pack up, walk around and go home.

What goes wrong

• The food has gone cold. Heat the thermos first, and fill it as close to leaving as you can. Soup holds heat better than dry food.
• Your hands are too cold to eat. Choose food you can hold with gloves on, and keep hand warmers in your pockets.
• The bench is wet. Bring a waterproof mat, or sit on a folded plastic bag with a blanket on top.
• It’s too windy. Move behind a wall or into the sun. If it doesn’t help, go to a cafe and call it a success.
• You’re shivering. That’s your sign to finish up. Put on another layer, stand up and walk around.
• It starts to get dark. Winter dark comes early. Go at lunchtime so you’re home before sunset.

Afterward

Wash the thermos with hot water as soon as you’re back, and leave it open to dry. Take your damp things off and have something warm. Make a note of what worked, such as the soup, the place or the time, so the next one is easier.

Make it a winter day

A winter picnic is nicest as the middle of a short outing. Walk first, so you arrive warm, then sit down for lunch. If you want more to do, add a little sledding, or make a pot of chili the night before so lunch is ready.