I have a tendency to think about winter as everything Christmas. But in reality, winter has just barely begun by Christmas Day. Once the holiday decorations are put away, we will have many weeks of this winter business. Some of us are happier about that fact than others. Whether we like winter or not, it is here to stay for a little while.
Snowfall brings a stillness to the outside world. Life outdoors takes a pause. And without the hustle and bustle of the holidays, life indoors feels like it slows down.
I'm trying to lean into winter this year, feel what winter is all about. And that is what "wintering" is.
This week's wintering has meant:
Lighting a few candles in the late afternoon. Winter is the perfect season for candles, as sunset comes early, yielding more candle enjoyment hours per day.
Noticing the pink sky in those moments that the sun leaves us for the day.
Taking in the citrusy aroma as I peel a tangerine for my afternoon snack. The tangerine season is brief each year.
Using and appreciating our wintry dishes. The blankets of snow over the bridge in the engraving seems particularly apropos this week.
Really appreciating the beauty of evergreens. In spring and summer, the flowers take the spotlight and evergreens fade to the background. In winter, it's the evergreens that give us a pop of color in the landscape. Their subtle fragrance is not to be easily dismissed either. This small cedar branch with its needle-leaves was in the way as I went out to collect the mail. I began to brush the larger branch aside, then instead I pulled this tiny piece off and brought it along with the mail into the house with me.
After sorting the mail, I decided to do a couple of crayon rubbings of the cedar, like we once did as children. I didn't have the exact color of crayon, so I chose a couple to layer on color as I rubbed. Rubbing the underside of the branch worked better. It picked up more texture than rubbing the top side.
After a few tries at rubbing, I tore the peel from my tangerine into small bits and broke the individual tiny branches off the stem o the cedar to make a small dish of potpourri to fragrance the room. The dish is now sitting in front of the floor heat vent, adding a bit of citrus and green scent to the air. When all of the pieces are completely dried, I'll add them to some potpourri in the guest bathroom.
In addition to the above, wintering for me means not scheduling anything stressful for the month of January, as much as possible. This is a time to de-stress and rebuild myself for spring.
Whether you call it wintering or not, do you make efforts to slow down just a bit in January? What would wintering look like in your life?
