*At the time of writing this, none of the links below are affiliates, just companies I like*
The holidays are a far-off memory. Every tree is bare. Shrubs are brown. The wind is blowing. It’s February, and the mid-winter blues are hitting hard. As I write this, we have a snow day in the Pacific Northwest. Where I live, we don’t get much snow. It’s usually once or twice a season. We had about 2 inches this morning, and now it’s slowly melting into a brown mush, only to re-freeze as a sheet of ice later tonight. Every year, this happens. I get the blahs. It used to get me down, but I’ve been learning to embrace what each season brings over the years. I try to find things that bring me joy that can only be found by going through winter. Here are some things that keep me moving forward:
Cook Seasonally
In the winter, I make it a point to make soups and roasts and do lots of baking. I have a few cookbooks that are based on seasonal eating. Winter calls for warming dinners and lots of hot broths. While I do tend to make a lot of soups all year round, winter is definitely soups’ time to shine. I also focus on seasonal produce: leeks, cabbage, and squash are always in rotation during winter (sometimes to my family’s dismay). We also have herbal hot chocolate!
Tea Time
Every afternoon, I make a cup of herbal tea. I try to rotate tea and seek out new flavors to keep things exciting. I really like Farmhouse Teas, which is local to us. Their Pacific Peppermint Patty is delightful! Tea time is my afternoon break, and it also makes me feel very European!
Hot Baths
If you have a bathtub, make special time to soak this season. Get special bubbles or bath soaks. I like to make herbal bath tea by brewing a strong batch of herbs and putting that “tea” into my bath. Epsom salt baths make any bath extra relaxing. To make things really cozy, get yourself some luxuriously soft bath towels.
Scents of the Season
Before I knew any better, I was at the Yankee candle store at every hint of a new season, filling my basket with highly scented wax tarts. When I started ditching the toxic products, candles were one of the things I missed the most. Yankee Sparkling Snow used to get me through the winter. It was a few years before I found some much cleaner candles I could trust. Now, I have a couple I turn to. My new favorite “winter” candle is Ponderosa Pine by Big Crazy Buffalo. I also like Goodlight Candles. Candles help get me through the dark days of winter, so I’m glad there are many good options now.
Plan Something for the Future
Winter is a great time to figure out your travel plans for the year. It can even be a great time to travel. Besides the risk of flight disruptions, traveling in the winter can be great for avoiding crowds, and hotel prices are usually at their lowest of the year in some places. Just researching a vacation can boost your mood and make you forget about winter, even for a little while. It doesn’t have to be a big trip, either. Plan a lunch date with a friend.
Check Out Seed Catalogs
If you’re a gardener, winter is the time to order your seeds for the upcoming season. Ordering in January and February means you have the best selection. In some places, you can start some seeds inside in mid-winter.
Enjoy the Slower Pace
Even though I like to complain about the winter, sometimes I secretly like it. I’m a gardener, and I’m in full swing in the spring and summer. There isn’t as much to do in the winter, and that’s okay with me. I can plan my garden inside while I’m sipping my tea.
Despite all of my “embracing the seasons” and enjoying the moment, I still encounter the winter blues. But I am mindful and intentional about feeling the blues for a moment and moving on to one of the things mentioned above. I know that this season is fleeting, and we’ll be in spring’s warm embrace in no time.
Remembering to enjoy the slower season and to plan for the future are two that really help me during the winter months! Great post!