Embracing Winter
When I think of winter, I have mixed emotions. I love experiencing all four seasons. I love the sweaters, wood fires, and cozy feel winter can bring. And yet, something about the dark days feels heavy and overwhelming. I find the stretch between January and March can even be a bit depressing (just keeping it real here).
This year I've been trying to be intentional about making winter more enjoyable. Instead of fighting nature's normal rhythms, I want to embrace them and make the most of each season. In today's blog post I want to share some tips and resources that I've found helpful in making winter a little more special.
Domestic Inspiration:
“Winter is the time for comfort, for good food and warmth, for the touch of a friendly hand and for a talk beside the fire: it is the time for home.” — Edith Sitwell
When I read the poem above, it encompassed my exact feeling of how I want my home to be in the winter. When I am decorating or sprucing up my home, I often ask myself how I want someone to feel when they spend time here. In winter I want people to feel warm, comfortable, and relaxed. Below is a list of items I include in my house to help create the environment I am shooting for.
Candles - candles provide a warm yellow light
Blankets and Pillows - I like to top my couch and beds with lots of blankets and pillows so people can feel free to snuggle up
Scents - Spices such as vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves are warming scents for the season.
Color palette - rich colors such as burgundy, brown, forest green, black, and burnt yellow are all great colors to incorporate into your home during the colder months.
Visual inspiration:
This video was filmed in Finland. I found it very relaxing and the cinematography is very well done. I especially enjoyed the shots of the sunrise over the snow. Hope you enjoy this video as well!
When I think of winter I think of the Swiss Alps. I envision a chalet high on a mountain with a blazing fire and a stack of handsewn quilts. Perhaps my imagination is a little outlandish. But I really enjoyed the views of the Alps that this video provides.
I gather a lot of winter inspiration from the Scandinavian region. Jerianie is a YouTuber from Finland and I just love her vintage style. The area where she films is absolutely beautiful. My favorite scene from this video is the shot of her skating over a frozen lake. I find this video inspirational on many different levels and I hope you do too! I linked to a few other of Jerianie's videos in my inspirations autumn blog post which you can find here.
Literary Inspiration:
Books
So technically these books are all "children's books" but I love them all anyway!
Brambly Hedge Winter Story by Jill Barklem - If you're looking for a book to give you all the cozy feels this is it! The story is cute, but the illustrations are where I gain the most inspirations. I like to sit with a hot cup of tea and page leisurely through the book.
Snow Treasure by Marie McSwigan - This book takes place during the Nazi occupation of Norway, and tells the story of children who were able to smuggle out gold right under the noses of the enemy. I read this book as a child and still enjoy it today.
Heidi by Johanna Spyri - The lovely description of life in the Alps puts this book into my winter collection. Heidi is such a wholesome and wonderful book. I think it's a great read for all ages.
Poems
Winter's Embrace by Patricia L. Cisco
Shimmering lakes of silvery ice
welcomes skaters' scarring slice.
Hills adorned in lacy white
watch children sleigh into the night.
In the brilliant pristine light,
snow birds in tall trees take flight.
Evergreens draped in capes of snow,
their heavy branches hanging low,
blanket earth as north winds blow.
Winter's dance is quite a show,
an ice-kissed, dazzling, magical place,
transformed by winter's cold embrace!
Winter Poem by Renee Domeier, O.S.B.
I sit watching winter return to the stubbled field
fill up the screens with flakes, the porch chair already white.
The wind blows snow to wherever it can find a resting place.
And I? Warm, protected, solitary observe through a window,
wonder what I, too, should let go, let come, let change.
Winter will need to let go, soon, to spring already awakening.
Under its white, icy coverlet. Spring will need to let come
lest there be no other kind of beauty to adorn Mother Earth.
And I?... I will change, too. Noticeably perhaps
Perhaps not. I await that season.
Auditory Inspiration:
Jonna Jinton is an artist from Sweeden. I find it fascinating that she captures the sounds of ice during winter.
Jonna also introduced me to the art of Kulning. Kulning is a high-pitched musical sound that I find very intriguing. It was used by the ancient herdswomen of Scandinavia to call their livestock from the forests, to communicate with other herdswomen, and to scare away bears or wolves. Jonna has lots more videos that you can check out if you're interested in learning more about Kulning.
While looking into Swedish history and traditions, I came across an instrument I had never heard of before. The Nyckelharpa is a traditional Swedish instrument has been around for over 600 years. I am finding myself falling in love with the sound.
Culinary Inspiration:
Winter lends itself to a whole different style of cooking. Winter is a time for baked goods, stews, and preserves. I wrote a blog post last year with some winter meal ideas. You can check that out here.
I think the video below captures the idea of seasonal eating on a farm. I love seeing how Shaye works so hard to preserve food to enjoy through the winter months. If you're interested in eating seasonally you might also want to check out the February Freezer Challenge.
I hope you've enjoyed the mishmash of winter inspiration that I've collected. If you have any tips or resources that you enjoy during winter please share them in the comments below.
Thanks for reading,
Abby
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