Winter Hygge

Winter is the time for stories, staying fast by the glow of the fire. And outside, in the darkness, the stars are brighter than you can possibly imagine.

- Isabel Greenberg, The Encyclopedia of Early Earth

Christmas sparkle has come and gone, the New Year has been saluted, and now we face the cold dark of winter. For some of us tenders this is literally a cold, dark time. For others of us, it is short, unpredictable — sweaters or t-shirts today? Winter can bring worries about damage from snow or ice or just complications when we work due to it being cold, wet, and miserable. It’s fun to get out blankets and start soups and bake pies, but by now we’re getting a little bored of winter’s trappings. A change might be nice. Warmth might be nice. 

How do we take our families through these few months after cheer and before spring?

We do not grow weary!

I know that I’m the oddball in Texas. My favorite time of the year is October through May. The summer makes me feel like I have hives, like everything is stale, just recycled air over and over with no hope of actually getting cool. When autumn hits, I bloom. As odd as this sounds, I feel uncomfortable in tank tops and completely at ease in sweaters. I love the textures of winter. I love shorter days. Poems and beautiful strings of words fill my mind and my notebook when I’m in the Autumn, Winter, Spring part of the seasonal cycle.

What about those of you who find this time of the year empty, lonely, and depressing? Who feel closed in in a sweater and burdened by coats? Who would much rather wear flip-flops year round?

There is nothing wrong, nothing sinful, about enjoying one season over others. God created us to enjoy things, and certain things specifically. The world would be a dull and boring place if we all liked the same things. But just like me in the summer, the summer lovers have to avoid complaining. It is going to be easy to murmur and whine this time of year and it’s going to be easy to just hunch your shoulders and endure. Go to work on your heart to learn to be thankful for the season. God made it, it is good. Find something, anything, to remind you of the gift of winter. I may not like summer, but I do enjoy pools and the ocean. I love water. Summer is one of the best times to enjoy water. You may not like winter, but you should find something to enjoy about it. It can be something as cerebral as the science behind why seasons change or something as fluffy as all the Hallmark Christmas movies. Either way, act as a believer who believes that God made all things good.

Once we’ve gone to work on our hearts, here are some wonderful ways to tend our hearths when the days are cold:

●      Take stock of your pantry

●      Plan vacation

●      Test new recipes

●      Plan gardens and flower beds

●      Wash blankets, pillows, curtains, those things often not washed

●      Become the Queen of hot drinks, cocktails, and mocktails

●      Set up bird feeders

●      Have regular movie, game, video game nights

●      Have a big breakfast (and not only at breakfast)

●      Bundle up for a brisk walk

●      Take a hot bath with all the oils, bubbles, and soap bombs you want

●      Reach out to Extroverts and get together

●      Redeem the time: use these days inside to make plans and do research

●      Research cold places like Scandinavia or Russia

●      Watch tropical movies or winter movies

●      Learn to make bone broth and chicken stock

Creating warmth and comfort in the cold is good and honorable work. Some Winter Hygge:

●      Candles

●      Blankets, blankets, blankets

●      Thick socks

●      Warm slippers

●      Cable knit sweaters

●      Favorite mugs

●      Hot Chocolate

●      Bread with lots of butter

●      Fairy lights

●      Meals that use the oven

●      Pot pies, soups, roasts

●      Tea all-day

●      Hot coffee

●      Fireplaces

●      Simmering pots of cloves, oranges, cinnamon

●      Stories

●      Audiobooks

●      Letter writing

●      Arts and Crafts

●      Texture, texture, texture: velvet, chunky knits, soft quilts, down comforters, fur

●      Umbrellas

●      Evergreen greenery inside

●      Library visits

●      Museums and coffee shops

●      Hot buttered rum

●      Boots

Winter hygge is all about creating pockets and piles of warmth, both mental and physical. Lighting can be a big part of mental warmth. We need to make sure we have warm lighting like fireplaces, candles, small strings of lights, left out Christmas lights, fire pits, and bonfires. Light pushes the darkness back. It may be cold, but make sure your curtains are open to even weak winter sunshine. Warm food crosses boundaries and gives both mental and physical warmth. We need to make sure we’re thinking through providing hot and nutritious meals. Winter is the perfect time for some of those richer, cheesier, bread and butter meals. It’s a good time for mulled wine. Potatoes are our friends.

Side note: If you have a hard time drinking water this time of the year, heat it up. I know it sounds gross, but it does work if you’re cold-natured.

Burn through that stock of tea. Nothing can build up a family’s spirit faster than a good hot meal. Lastly, we need to make sure everyone has the correct clothing. Nothing makes winter worse than being inappropriately dressed. Build up a good collection of hoodies, sweaters, and cardigans for the whole family. Having cozy clothes goes a long way towards enjoying the winter.

For you Moms with littles at home, much of this will be beyond your reach during this time. That’s okay. The day will come when you can incorporate more of this. For now enjoy the time you’re in. Those babies won’t be babies forever. You are engaged in important work right now. Eyes on the prize. For others of you, this is a time when it’s hard because you can’t send the kids outside as easily as you can during the rest of the year. Make sure you not only engage them in crafts, games, and books but engage them in the cooking, cleaning, planning. I know it is so much easier to set them in front of a device, and there is a time and place for that, but teach them to redeem the time by example and instruction. Don’t allow boredom or complaining even on days everyone is trapped inside. These demands on your part will serve them well when they grow up. Stay at the task, in season and out.

Winter can be harsh and hard, as many of us Texans learned early in 2021. But part of being a Proverbs 31 woman is being prepared, cheerfully prepared. Take the long dark cold of winter and make her your handmaid for planning, nesting, tending, and loving your family.