Ideas to make deep midwinter lovely ( or at least bearable)

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I loved the ‘make autumn lovelier’ thread. But is there any hope for deep winter loveliness?

There was frost on my office windows this morning ( should’ve left a heater on over Christmas), dog walks are ankle deep in mud, all the chocolate is gone and it’s dark all day.

It’s lean picking for loveliness but here are my ideas:

I went to the church epiphany carol service this evening. A peaceful, candlelit hour. 2nd February is Candlemas- early pancake day!
Swimming with a quick jacuzzi dip once a week.
Actually lighting my posh candle. It’ll look it’s best on a grey afternoon.
Comfort food. DH is making boeuf a la daube this weekend.
Facing down the weather and enjoying beach walks and snowdrop rambles.
Spending my Christmas money on L’Occitaine bath foam.
Wintry books- Ghost stories. And comfort TV- maybe a bit of Scandi noir and This Farming Life.
Living vicariously through my best friend in Perth, who has been complaining all month about the terrible heat 🙄

'I am feeling a bit lost this week due to a falling out with my parents'

Big hugs - I have a similar situation and I feel lost too, as well as very angry and very sad. Glad that you have such nice things around you and that you are taking care of yourself

Well, the Christmas holidays are soon ending here.
DD13 has decided she wants to make pizza for lunch, which sounds fun. DS wants to swim later, where I’ll make ample use of the spa pool.
We each got a Warhammer model set for Christmas ( DS loves it, and has got us all into it). So I’ll be on the Games Workshop website today splashing out on paints. That will be a great family project for January.

Will anyone else do something special for Twelfth Night/ Epiphany? Our Magi aren’t allowed to arrive at the nativity set until then. They have currently made it to the downstairs loo! I’ll make a cake and a special dinner, with candles.

It’s not for a while, but don’t forget Candlemas on 2nd February. The official end of Christmas and we like to pretend to be French, and eat piles of pancakes.

What a lovely thread! You've all inspired me, and so yesterday I went for a walk at lunchtime (working from home) in the blustery West Yorkshire day. I also drank a fair amount of ginger in hot water which was warming and fab. I'm thinking about digging up some of the snowdrops from the garden and bringing them in in a pot to have something we can enjoy in the house.

I bought some fake fur throws from eBay in November and they are an absolute godsend. Can't think how we managed without them! Lovely deep red and purple colours, and they make me feel happy whenever I see them.

Thanks for reviving this thread, people! Like a great big warm hug.

I've just bought some warm white fairy lights to put in our huge dragon palm (he is currently wearing the bright white ones for Christmas but I will move those to the kitchen tomorrow). Plus ordered Jamie's One Pan Wonders for some new recipes.

Such a lovely thread - I’m going to go back and read it all ahead of going back to work next week. I’m planning to make soup for weekday lunches, I mainly work from home and if lunch is already made I should have time for a walk at lunchtime as well. I’m also looking forward to the next yoga with Adriene 30 day journey, which I’ll try to do as many days as I can in January.

I'm doing 30 days of yoga too.

I love this thread so much. I loved the autumn one too.

My plans are;

Use my spa voucher that I got for my birthday some months ago. Midwinter is definitely the time for a swim, sauna and steam room.

Declutter at home.

Try seasonal reading, so I plan to read books that are set in the colder months. (Two of my current favourites are Winter Solstice by Rosamunde Pilcher, and Jamaica Inn by Daphne Du Maurier.)

Go out for a nice meal with DH. We don't get to do it very often anymore, but Jan/Feb would be a nice time to do this.

Have fresh flowers and hyacinths in the house once the Christmas decorations come down.

Continue with my hour-long dog walks every day, whatever the weather. I always feel better for it.

Write down my 2023 plans (holiday ideas, clothes I want, house projects etc) in my new journal.

A@TwoMagnificentLabradors we do galettes des rois for epiphany

www.myparisiankitchen.com/en/story-and-tradition-of-epiphany-king-cake/

I'm in Melbourne and we had three months of very cold winter starting June 1st followed by three months of cold spring, followed by three weeks of cold summer. Was very horrid, and has buggered up flowering and fruiting in the garden and well, everywhere.

Soooooo my contribution to passing the mid-winter is:

Seed catalogues.
Garden planning - I planned for a waterlilies section of the side return, and completed it last week.
Things that need doing in the house, divided into two: A. Those that don't require good weather and B. Those that do. Crack on with the B list in winter.
Keep up the walking - easy with a dog.
Plan, and have a holiday overseas - first time since 2017

BTW, summer arrived just in time for Christmas.😎

This is a lovely thread, full of good ideas I'll pinch for winter 2023.

Happy New Year, and let's have some more suggestions.

Cinema. I haven’t been in a few years. I wanted to see Avatar in 3D, it didn’t disappoint. Brought our own snacks and had a lovely time, it felt like we ‘went out’ but still cosy.

Today the plan is to go for a walk then come home for soup and warm bread.

Just spent the afternoon drinking cocktails and eating tapas with my friend. To be fair, a fun activity at any time of the year!

That sounds brilliant!

Today I went for a long walk and listened to a podcast. It was a perfect morning for it, bright and sunny and not too cold.

Then I went into town and bought two new scented candles that were on sale after Christmas, and a new raincoat from Craghoppers as I'm sick of my ancient Primark one where the pockets are too small and the hood doesn't stay up. I've decided if I want to get out and about more I need to invest in decent coats and shoes!

I had a nap on the sofa this afternoon under a blanket then woke up and cooked roast pork for dinner.

Now just sat with a glass of wine and my new candle lit.

It was a good day.

DH and I went for a walk in one of the local scenic villages by the sea. It was such a beautiful day with clear blue skies and we finished off at a great pub with plans to come back another time for lunch.

I finished a 1000 piece jigsaw as well and started on Yoga With Adrienne.

I’ve taken to lighting a candle in the kitchen for that soft glow and overcoming cooking smells.

We went ice skating today and then out for dinner in a very bright Carribbean restaurant - it was a fabulous contrast.

I had to spend the morning in bed resting so I could manage to skate but I used a really lovely smelling face mask and read a book so if didn't feel too bad

I can really recommend Jamie Oliver's new book, One. Have so far made smoked salmon pasta, Cajun chicken traybake and flatbread toasties - all delicious, easy, quick and cheap.

If anyone is looking for more books with a “wintry” theme, then I really enjoyed The Quality of Silence by Rosamund Lupton. It’s a thriller with some wonderfully descriptive scenes.

Thanks to PP’s for mentioning the cinema. I really need to get back into cinema visits. There’s a small cinema a few miles from me and tickets are £3.50 no matter your age - I really need to make better use of it.

Thank you so much for this thread, it was exactly what I needed tonight.

id gone to bed sad after a rough day and emotional evening but after reading the first half of this thread in bed I got up, put the kettle on and toasted the last of the panatone. I put Netflix on, drank my tea and ate my toast in my oodie then booked myself a nail appointment and took the Xmas decs down.
I love fairy lights so will keep some up in the lounge and I’ve set an alarm to wake up early to walk the dog before everyone gets up (although am now up a lot later than planned so will regret that in a few hours!)

I will be saving this thread to read it again for more inspiration ❤️

Thank you for restarting this lovely thread! I have listened to the podcast recommended and have just ordered Wintering 😊

So glad this thread is back! Going to reread it from the beginning. I started 30 day yoga today too.

Happy New Year! Just been to my first yoga session of 2023. Walked there and back which was nice even if a bit wet! Joined a free walking group for a weekend walk which should be nice. Read Wintering over December and loved it.

What a lovely thread. Last year when I read it I listened to the year podcast and loved it. And I have just finished the book Wintering after reading about it on here.
I loved it. I have started celebrating Winter Solstice for a good few years now and that has helped me to lean into and love winter. After reading the book I think I will look to Imbolc in the same way. The 1st of February being the turn towards Spring. It might seem like I am trying to rush through winter but it does quite the opposite. I can enjoy these 6 weeks between Solstice and Imbolc. Really be present with all it offers.

Things are calm in the MouseHouse. The decorations are away but fairy lights have stayed in every room and I will leave the lights in the birch until Imbolc like I did last year. So many neighbours commented on how nice it was to see them still.
I have a Lego project to build over the next couple of weeks and I’m still reading the Christmas chronicles. We’re having a big Sunday roast of fore rib this weekend to mark the ending of the Christmas holidays, then a quiet time until Imbolc, which we will celebrate with another big family meal.
I love the return of the light, and the fact that it’s suddenly not dark until 5 at that time. But I also love these 6 weeks - the stillness used to make me restless but I’ve found it easier to embrace the quiet these last few years.
Happy winter weekend everyone.

@Breathmiller what is the year podcast ?Others have mentioned it and I'd like to have a listen .
thank you

Loving this thread…… am listening to the As the seasons turn podcast…
making soup
my Christmas lights are still up
snuggled on the sofa with a blanket
preparing to have a deep clean and declutter of the house
thinking about trips this year
looking forward to reading my new books
just trying to be generally grateful and to look forward!