The house is bare after the decor comes down. The shops and the cupboards are filled with leftover's from Christmas. It's cold and snowy. The general landscape seems completely void of life save for the sound of snowblowers on every corner. Even the squirrels seem to have vanished. (note to self: 3AM google topic: where do the squirrels go?) The holidays are becoming a distant memory and spring seems a far off mirage on the horizon.
This is a tough time of year for me. My parents birthdays both fell during this time, as did their passings, both in the midst of epic snow storms in the Pacific NW. 'It's the dying season.' a wise friend once noted and it is actually true, more deaths oddly occur in January and February. Nonetheless I go in to these months with an intention of finding the beauty and inspiration in all of it. Sometimes that works for me and sometimes it doesn't. Some days I want to go home from work, curl up on the couch and binge watch Netflix while I binge eat cookies for dinner. Some days I kick my butt to the gym and lift.
Listed below are some things I try to do so that I am not simply wishing this time of year to be over and am actually relishing the season a bit:
1. Buy some fresh flowers for your kitchen, table, or office (or all three!) They don't have to cost a fortune, a grocery store bundle still adds fragrance, freshness, and LIFE to any space.
2. Paint your toes/nails a brilliant spring color. Choose something that pops against winter pale skin. You probably have a bright cherry red or brilliant pink around somewhere right?
3. Cozy up the house. Keep a beautiful throw on the couch to curl up in. I like fluffy ones that go with my decor so my house doesn't look like an old folks home (nothing against old folks here). Keep slippers by the door so you can toss off your snowy or wet boots the moment you step inside. Ditto for slippers by the bed.
4. Engage all of your senses. Candles with 'warm' fragrances of spice, wood, and tobacco make the draftiest of homes seem warmer and soothe the senses. Some of my favorites are Bath and Body Works Teakwood/Mahogany, Woodwick's Dark Poppy or Cedarwood. or Archipelago's Havana.
5. Eat warming foods. It's crock pot season!! Is anything better than opening the door after a long day to the smell of dinner already cooked for you. Pop an old family recipe in there for some extra comfort or surf for new ideas that you can tweak to make your own.
6. Drink up. Don't forget to hydrate! It's harder to drink ice water during the cold months so switch up your water bottle for a thermos full of your favorite tea which is both warming and healthy. Find a NEW TEA to change it up. Warm milk is wonderfully relaxing and you can add a variety of things to it to spice it up.
7. Rest. Listen to your body. There is a reason animals hibernate during this season. It is ok to take that long winter's nap somedays. Go to bed a little earlier, get up a little later when you can. Rest brings renewal.
8. Set something on the calendar to look forward to. A vacation, a party, a weekend get away to a hot spring, a date night or a girls night. Anything to break up the everyday.
9. Shop for something for the warmer days ahead. Stores begin stocking warm weather clothing and shoes as early as January for their resort customers. January is also a good time of year to stock up on linens for the home. A fresh duvet cover will brighten up a winter dreary bedroom
10. Honor the season as one of rest and renewal. Give in to the urge to slow down and cozy up. Remember all the flowers that need the cold to bloom bright in the Spring.
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