A Wintry Mix
We say next time we’ll go away. But then the winter happens, like a secret ~ Shaun O’Brien
I’ve made a mental note to make a white wreath for my door next January. Winter is a starkly beautiful season that deserves its own frosty emblem separate from Christmas. Today we are in the midst of a snowstorm that may turn to rain by tomorrow – another wintry mix.
Winter can indeed be a mixed bag, especially this one as we await the end of the pandemic. One day we have bright blue skies with baby breaths of spring and other days, biting cold dreariness and deflating moods. But I confound my loved ones each year because I am a steadfast fan of winter who sees the hidden joys in the coldest season.
Home
I recall the anxiety I often felt on snowy days when I knew I had to drive to work. This winter, we are all at home and although some of us may have anxiety of a different kind, we don’t have to feel guilty for hunkering down in our homes and engaging in those things that bring us joy. This is our get-out-of-jail-free card to lollygag about as much as we want. When have we ever been told it’s ok to be lazy?
Books
Real book-reading, meaning novels. Deep, engrossing stories that are probably already on your bookshelves. Grab one and take in just one chapter and see if you can get lost in some English village or southern seacoast. If it works out, you may not be seen for days.
Films
I scour the internet for winter movies. Look for ones that are not obvious or are just filmed in winter but aren’t a true winter stories. Recently I re-watched Mrs. Pettigrew Lives for a Day which was filmed almost entirely indoors. But the light played like a cold sunless day with slings and arrows of captivating grey and blue shadows. Now I’m reading the novel and loving it too.
Tea
Winter afternoons scream for Earl Grey and Lady Grey tea. Every February, I attempt to replicate a tea tray I once had at a fancy hotel many years ago. A silver pot-bellied teapot with my favorite bergamont blend nestled with crisp water crackers, cheese, and sliced oranges. How pretty can you do up a tea tray for yourself?
Blankets
I bought my mother an electrified fur throw in pale pink and she loves it. A friend of mine bought a weighted blanket and has never slept so well. Maybe you can search for the type of blanket you had as a child – the wool one with the satin trim around the border. Curl up with that…
Plants
So much fun can be had in planting bulbs. Hyacinths scent the house with a magical floral wisps and shoot up in just a matter of days. Find paperwhites and jonquils which are also summer-fragranced. I have no luck with African Violets but I love the way they look jumbled in a basket on the coffee table.
Naps
Is anything more delicious than settling in for an afternoon nap? Now is your chance.
Podcasts
Whatever I am interested in, it seems someone else is too and what’s more, they’ve often created a podcast about it. Last week a famous museum curator educated me on the beauty of roses in fashion. She was so passionate and I learned more about roses in 40 minutes than I would ever need to know. I’m still thinking about the parallels that were drawn between couture, street fashion, and roses. It elevated me and made me forget all about the cold and the pandemic. There is still art going on out there and although you may not be able to visit a museum, you can “visit” Youtube.com for just about any interest you have.
It’s true that winter throws us a few curve balls each year and this one is no exception by far. But go with the ebb and flow of the wintry mix and find your joys.
9 Comments
Karen
Hi, Other Karen! Yes, that was me! Stay warm and cozy in frosty Canada!!
Karen
I re-read your post from January 2019 “Things Said in Winter”. It was your good friend Karen who put away her fall magentas and burnished coloured clothing and declared that pastel winter had begun. And wore soft greys and cool baby blues. Is that you, Karen? I revelled in that whole post more in January 2021 than I did in 2019. It strikes a very deep and resonant chord with me. xo other karen
Karen
Thank you for this delicious invitation to savour the winter. I live in Vancouver on the west coast of Canada and our winters are hardly ever anything close to the delightful, roaring fires and homemade quilts you describe. I do share your love for the picturesque winter you describe. Either last year (or maybe the year before) you described that the winter of the New Year became your pastel version of winter. Winter whites, pastel sweaters and luxurious jewel-toned lipstick. I actually invested in some of those items and am wearing and celebrating them in the now. Gone are the reds, burgundies and warm colours of Christmas winter as we head for spring. Thank you so much for your suggestions for self-care and soothing. I always feel slightly guilty and unjustifiably lazy if I spend an afternoon reading or watch a movie before 7:00 pm. Thank you for the permission (as if I need outside permission) to curl up, read, relax, drink tea, have a girly snack and celebrate being alive. In the winter.
xo Other Karen
Kathleen
Dear Donna,
Sometimes I think we grew up in the same house, but I think it’s because we are the same age. I love wool blankets with satin trim from my youth. Mine was a pale fern green and I wish I still had it. Lady Grey tea is such a favorite…I pair it with two (only) Walker Shortbread Cookies ( but I must admit water crackers, a double cream brie and some orange slices sounds so good). I watched Dr. Zivago recently and loved all the snow and ice and beautiful hats. I am grateful for my duvet every night when I can’t sleep, for worrying too much. It comforts me. I always love your posts. Warmly, Kathleen
Ann
I am with you…love Winter! Time to relax, read, enjoy movies by the fire….just watched an old one “If Winter Comes” with Walter Pidgeon, Deborah Kerr, and many others and it was wonderful! I don’t think I could ever live where there was no winter!
Dana
Like you, I adore winter. I’m taking daily morning walks and find so much beauty in the serene starkness. As a homebody- I find winter to be the most fitting for the solitude I crave. Nothing is better for my soul than to sip a hot tea beside a roaring fire when engrossed in a thick book. Love love love this post. Your words are so inspiring!
LA CONTESSA
THE BLANKETS with THE SATIN ………how we loved those in pale colors!
I have heard those weighted blankets are DELICIOUS!
LOVE your idea of JANUARY having its OWN WREATH!
RELAX BE LAZY I have a feeling one day this will ALL COME TO A SCREECHING HALT!
XXX
Anneli
What a serene post Donna , with so many lovely ideas .
Thank you !
Karen
Well, this is just delightful! And I won hundred percent agree with you! There’s something about being snuggled inside with absolutely no reason in the whole wide world to go out into the winter with the crazy streets and the slush and ice. I love the idea of a wreath that is just for winter and not for Christmas! And I love the combinations of cool greens and pale whites and grays that are right outside the door. Although I must admit, this year, for the first time ever, I am taking walks every day just to go and check in on a creek that’s a few doors down. Every day that creek puts on a new garment and I want to watch her through her entire annual wardrobe change. Right now she’s wrapped in a silver sheath, very 1930s, with lots of sparkle and glimmer as the water flows beneath the ice surface. So thank you for this reminder of the joys of Madame de Winter–long may she reign! I love this post and especially your descriptions of the colors, that was beautiful!