Lifestyle Travel Celebrity Vacations Danica McKellar Takes a Dip in the Frigid Pacific Ocean Ahead of 49th Birthday: 'Cozy Is Overrated' "Just took a dip in the ocean. It is cold, but felt so good and refreshing, and [it was] a great way to ring in the New Year," shared the actress By Kimberlee Speakman Kimberlee Speakman Kimberlee Speakman is a digital writer at PEOPLE. She has been working at PEOPLE since 2022. Her work has previously appeared in Forbes and she has also worked in broadcast television as a reporter for Hawaii-based news station KHON2 News. People Editorial Guidelines Published on January 3, 2024 11:57AM EST Photo: JC Olivera/Getty; Danica McKellar/Instagram Danica McKellar is stepping outside her comfort zone for the new year. The Wonder Years alum — who also celebrated her 49th birthday on Wednesday — shared a glimpse at her spontaneous dip in the freezing cold ocean to kick off 2024. McKellar captured the moment in a series of videos posted to her Instagram Story on Tuesday, starting with a shot of the ocean at sunset, which she captioned with, “Breathe in deeply this new year for 19 seconds as we gaze upon the Pacific Ocean....” She added that it was “probably pretty cold in there....” But the freezing temperatures didn’t stop her as in a follow-up video, she showed herself walking into the ocean in a bikini as other beachgoers were wrapped up in jackets, sweaters and pants. “Notice the people walking on the beach, bundled up,” she wrote alongside a “Baby, it’s cold outside” sticker. McKellar shared a video taking a dip in the Pacific Ocean to her Instagram Story. Danica McKellar/Instagram Danica McKellar Celebrates 10th Anniversary of First Date with Husband Scott Sveslosky Ignoring the chill, McKellar splashed in the waves and fully immersed herself in the water. “Yep, that’s me,” she wrote over the video, which was set over the instrumental version of “Under the Sea” from The Little Mermaid. “Just took a dip in the ocean. It is cold, but felt so good and refreshing, and [it was] a great way to ring in the New Year,” McKellar, who wore a cheetah print swimsuit, said in another video following her swim. “You know what? I’ve been really cozy for a lot of this break and I decided that cozy is overrated.” She concluded the video with a New Year’s message encouraging people to “jump in that cold ocean” and even added a sticker of Rosie the Riveter saying “We can do it.” Danica McKellar encourages people to “jump in that cold ocean” on Instagram. Danica McKellar/Instagram Danica McKellar Reveals Which '90s Star Overlapped Teen Romances with Her and Candace Cameron Bure: 'Tsk Tsk' The actress revealed on Instagram that she rang in the new year with her husband Scott Sveslosky and son Draco McKellar Verta (whom she shares with ex-husband Mike Verta) along with her sister Crystal, her brothers and her parents. McKellar opened the Instagram carousel with a snap of her and Sveslosky posing together to take a selfie. She wore a silver celebrate headband, while her beau wore a tinsel garland around his neck. She also took a sweet photo beaming cheek to cheek with her son. Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. She concluded the post with some family group shots of her and her siblings with her parents sitting on a couch, and noted that “somehow my dad kept sinking into the chair and looking awkward, so we had some fun with that one. 😅” “Happy New Year!! 🎉🌟 Feeling blessed to have spent it with family...,“ she captioned the set of photos. “Sending love to you all for the new year ahead!! 🌟🎉 #2024”