Staying energetic in winter seems challenging in climes where the skies are gray A LOT, such as here in the Pacific Northwest or across the Pond in England. On the other hand, we usually escape the bitter cold numbing our every extremity and everything freezing solid for months...
Sight
Outside, the skies are gray; the trees are bare in shades of brown, tan, and grey, the grass is actually green (as are the evergreens); and molds, mosses and lichens abound everywhere. There is a dull monochrome over everything; even bold, unnatural colors seem muted during this season.
It seems no mystery, then, why ancient cultures began their winter months with various celebrations of LIGHT. Adding the energy of light to the shorter days and longer nights is a true antidote to gloom, physically, emotionally and spiritually. There was one night a year, around Christmas time, when our family would light all the candles and glass lamps, then turn off the electricity and just walk around the house, basking in the soft firelight.
Bringing the freshness of outdoors inside when the house is shut against the cold and damp is as important as adding light to the atmosphere. One of my all time favorite smells is when we bring in the cut greens at Christmas time. Nothing, but nothing, can beat the uplift of cut evergreens!
Here's a link to a recipe for
After all the traditional holiday feasts comes the workaday world. Soup and bread and cheese and wine... Hearty, stick to your ribs fare with what's in the pantry and root cellar (not that we ever had one -- I just like the romantic notion!) (My mom would tell me stories about the root cellar she grew up with on the farm in Missouri, about snitching sauerkraut out of the big crocks...)
A dear Hungarian American friend introduced me to some wonderful dishes. A favorite has been roasted root vegetables... I chose this picture because it most reminded me of the first time she served it to me:
And, honestly, what would winter be without chocolate? Yes, Valentine's Day approaches, but why wait? Eugene's very own Euphoria Chocolate Company is right around the corner...
Sound
The first sound that comes to mind when I think of winter is: the distinctive, sharp *crack* of a branch breaking under a load of ice. Or the *shwush* of snow sliding off evergreen branches. The *hush* that happens when it's snowing and the world stops. Or the *crunch* of snow under our boots.
In addition to music from the Nutcracker and the Christmas holiday music that abounds everywhere for a few weeks, other tunes bring memories. Recently, National Public Radio featured a series on Winter Songs.
Welcome!
You're home!
So good to see you!!
Warm Hugs
Warm Feet
