Despite the title of this post, I tend to believe the winter is anything but bleak. It's grey, chilly, still, silent and slow, but it is not bleak. It's the beginning of a new year. It's worthy of an embrace and perfect to start out this new series I've been muddling over for a while.
I aspire to live in harmony with the seasons. To use them as a loose guide for what I eat, how I work, what I interact with. When in doubt, look outside. What is nature doing? What can we learn from the snow falling or the grey, barren trees in mid-January. That's the beauty of nature, God created it to draw attention to a good, good Creator. We don't worship the seasons, but rather we marvel at the Father who created it for us. No matter the circumstances of life, nature is constant and present. You can travel to the other ends of the earth and still see the mighty movements of nature.
Let's lean into that a bit this year, let's see what lessons we can learn from nature and how it points back to the One who controls it all.
Find in this post:
- A Winter Poem
- A Playlist for the Dark Evenings
- A Winter Wellness Movement
- A Winter Skincare Essential
- 5 Winter Closet Items I Wear on Repeat
- A Winter Meal Plan
- 3 Books to Read in the Winter
- The Winter Garden
A Winter Poem
The Snowbird by Frank D. Sherman
When all the ground with snow is white,
The merry snow-bird comes,
And hops about with great delight
To find the scattered crumbs.
How glad he seems to get to eat
A piece of cake or bread!
He wears no shoes upon his feet,
Nor hat upon his head.
But happiest is he, I know,
Because no cage with bars
Keeps him from walking on the snow
And printing it with stars.
A Playlist for the Dark Evenings
Use this link for my Spotify Playlist that's perfect for a cozy winter's night in.
A Winter Wellness Movement
As much as I enjoy rest as much as the next person, you can't discount the benefit that movement brings in the chilly months. If you have some wellness intentions for 2023 that include more thoughtful movement, try this simple activity a few times a day to waken up your spine, improvement digestion, and warm your muscles up.
It's a yoga move called Knocking on Heaven's Door - and it's something everyone can participate in. I've linked a video that demonstrates how to do it - just skip to about 3 minutes in the video to see it in practice.
A Winter Skincare Essential
Thanks to modern heating we stay nice and warm inside, but our skin gets the brunt of the warm, dry air. Even in South Carolina where our winters are mild and our air is still humid, my skin can't go a day without moisturizer.
During the winter months I turn to my tried and true favorite moisturizer: FirstAid Beauty Ultra Repair Cream. It's thick and hydrating without being greasy and even my husband has gotten into using it daily. I only apply this at night time and let it sink in overnight and when I wake up I barely have to use a moisturizer in the mornings as long as I'm properly hydrated.
If you're looking for a clean beauty hydrating moisturizer, look no further than the FirstAid Beauty brand.
5 Closet Essentials for the Winter Season
A Winter Menu
Most of these recipes I put on rotation throughout the winter and have found my health better for it. In the winter, depth of flavor is my favorite profile to explore. Most of the time I just wing the recipes with flavors I have on hand or know we like, but I've linked the recipes down below that follow similarly to what I cook.
- Cinnamon Apple Oatmeal - I use GF oats
- Roasted Root Veggie Scramble
- Tuna Salad Recipe
- Lentil Soup - or I like the Amy's Organic Lentil Soup can found at your local store
- Salmon Burgers
- Spaghetti Squash Lasagna
- Black Bean Enchiladas
- Homemade Ramen
Three Books to Dive Into This Winter
The Kinfolk Garden: a beautiful collection of garden stories and designs. If you're excited about outside spaces, gardening or just love wandering well-curated spaces, this book is a beautiful way to dive into that world.
Wintering: full disclosure I have yet to read this book, but it's high on my list of books to read this winter season. It comes highly recommended by several friends and I'm interested in diving in.
The Night Circus: one of my favorite books of 2022, Erin Morganstern has mastered the magical realism realm and creates enchanting lands in both The Night Circus and The Starless Sea.
The Winter Garden
Inspired by the Ffern podcast "As the Season Turns", I wanted to wrap up this winter season post by turning our attention back to nature and highlighting a few special moments in the winter garden.
For Zones 7-9
- as long as the ground isn't frozen you can start growing lettuce as early as mid-January. Start your greens from seeds in a nice protected pot with high quality organic fertilizer.
- January is a good time to start adding compost to your soil. If you have raised beds that haven't frozen add a thin layer of compost, turn over the soil and leave it for a month.
- winter is a wonderful time for bird watching in your own backyard look for bluebirds, bluejays, cardinals and sparrows depending on where you live. Winter is also the best time to feed your backyard birds as food is more scarce when the ground freezes.
- if snow is blanketing your area, and the gardens are impassable, now is a wonderful time to dive into planning your seeds and starters for early spring. Halden Garden - one of my favorite organic seed companies - is offering $1 seed packets for all of 2023. I suggest stocking up!