Ten Ways to Make Winter Less Bleak
Winter, for those who know me well, is not my favorite season. I don't like cold. I like warm that leans more to the hot side. 100* doesn't faze me in the least. I LOVE it. Really, I do. I don't like sweating. I don't like smothering. But I do like hot weather. So here is what I do to make winter less bleak.
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| Paige making snow angel 2008 |
1. Turn on all the lights in the house. I don't like the long, grey and dreary days. So first thing I do every morning is start turning on lights. (And hating the electric bill when it comes.)
2. I like to burn my Scentsy warmer with the heavier, more winter-like scents. Like things with cinnamon. Or apple. Pine. Those kinds of scents. The heavy, clinging type. You know the ones.
3. I cover up with afghans and warm cozy blankets. Always. With the fan on. That's just how I roll. I have to have that cool breeze blowing over the top of those warm, snuggly blankets.
4.I put on socks. The rest of the year I live inside my house barefoot. But when winter comes I never take off my socks. Except to shower.
5. And who can get through the winter without stacks of books and magazines. I always have a book (in my case, it is my Nook) open in my lap. Watching TV; I read during the commercials. Talking with a family member; I flip through magazines. Always reading. Winter is for reading.
6. A large cup of something hot to drink. I drink coffee with French vanilla cream. Occasionally a cup of hot chocolate. If I am feeling under the weather I will mix up a hot toddy. A hot toddy, warming my hands, always makes me think of my mother!
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| food.com |
7. Winter is also for de-cluttering. De-crapping. Can't go outside. Then go through a cabinet, a closet, a drawer. I don't go over-board (because there is a book always calling) but if I can't get outside, then it is good to clean inside.
8. Dream about a warm place to visit. When Richard was still alive we often would plan a vacation for February or March. The cold, dreary months. We went to the Panama Canal, Australia, Mexico....all during our winters at home. I probably won't travel like that anymore. But I can still dream.
9. I also like to write. So winter, when the skies are grey and the days are short, is a good time to write. I am planning my A to Z Challenge now. So I can get a head start maybe.
10. In the winter months I tend to my indoor plants. My orchids and African violets. The philodendrons. The ficus tree (that is dropping leaves right here as I type). The ferns. They all need more tender, loving care during these winter months. And once spring arrives outdoors they all go. To thrive. To flourish. Just like me!!
Now tell me, what do you do to chase away the bleakness of winter?
Warm socks, good books, hot beverages, and plants to remind us of spring - I'm with you! I kind of like winter (at least more than summer's 100+ temperatures and humidity), but it still gets a bit bleak. Hope your winter is bright, cheery, and passes quickly!
ReplyDeleteThanks for visiting Bonny. I am a summer girl as I said. I just don't like being cold...
DeleteOh I like your ideas! I love the summer, and it doesn't usually get super hot here in Nova Scotia, but I don't like super hot days as when I get too warm, I feel sick and have panic attacks. So I like colder weather, and bundling up when it gets too cold. When I am feeling really sick of winter and those days of slushy, foggy, gross weather, I like to visit Necker Island ( www.neckerisland.com), owned by Sir Richard Branson. Oh I will never get there in real life, I could never afford it) but it is nice to dream! I also have lots of battery operated candles and real candles that I light as soon as I am up in the morning, that helps me feel a bit more cheerful!
ReplyDeleteWe have had some super hot days the past couple of summers here in Kansas. Even a heat lover like me was complaining. I am off to visit Neckerisland.com
DeleteI've heard of de-cluttering, but de-crapping gave me the giggles! I know what you mean. During winter in Minnesota, we have the St. Paul Winter Carnival to get us out and about ...ice carvings, car races on a frozen lake when the ice is safe, there used to be a hotdish competition, and I like to watch the sport of curling. I also like to take e-cations from the comfort of my living room with my feet in some cozy wool socks! Then there is the indoor beach party! I have been known to even set up the patio umbrella over my dining room table!
ReplyDeleteThat is more what I am doing at my house: de-crapping. Most of this stuff is just crap. That sounds so fun to have a Winter Carnival. There was a time when Richard was to be transferred to the Minneapolis-St. Paul area. It was really, really cold there. We don't get quite that cold here in Kansas. An indoor beach party sounds like a blast.
DeleteYou are more than welcome to de-clutter and de-crap for me. I need to do it. It's on my goals for 2015.
ReplyDeleteLOL! If only we lived closer...we could work on it together.
DeleteYou had a good list of things to make winter "bearable" Paula. I'm with you about light; somehow if the sun is shining or the lights are on, it does take away some of the chill of the day. It is good to remember too that the season will pass and spring and warmer weather will be here soon.
ReplyDeletebetty
Yes...all things do pass and this will too!
DeleteFortunately(???), we don't really experience the bleakness you describe. (But hang around 'til July when I start moaning n' groaning!)
ReplyDeleteWhat caught my eye was your mention of the fan blowing while you're snuggled beneath the covers. You're only the second person I've ever heard say that. No matter how 'warm' it gets in Phoenix, I have to have some sort of blanket over me while the fan's going crazy overhead.
I think we must be related. Or were in another life. So many things about us are the same. I always have a blanket on. Even when it is blazing hot outside. And the fan blowing right on me. Richard used to tease me about it.
DeleteWe do like you and Richard did and head somewhere warm. Leaving February 8th for St. Eustacia...Cannot wait!!
ReplyDeleteWhat fun it was to leave in a snow storm and land in the heat....wish I was going with you
DeleteI really enjoy burning candles and things but haven't done anything of the sort since we moved!
ReplyDeleteI use my Scentsy warmer instead of candles now. But I love candles too!
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