How to enjoy the colder months

[BotoxOrPuffins]

I used to absolutely love summer and have never complained about it being too hot. Even on humid holidays. Now I'm mid forties and for the first time I have hated summer. I sweat so much and can't do anything, I feel so miserable. I'm on HRT and it's probably my hormones fluctuating.

So, I'm going to change my mindset. I will love all seasons and embrace the cold and grey.

What can I do to enjoy winter and not feel the cold and the negatives. I'm going to prepare for the best winter ever, please help me with recommendations for socks that actually keep your feet warm, shoes, winter boots, proper waterproof jackets, best umbrella you've ever used, lesser known hot drinks, tips for walking in the rain and not getting soaked. Anything! I'm going outside every single day this winter. My gaol is to enjoy all seasons equally now. Thanks!

Heated throw, I have one on every chair I sit in. Dogs love them too. I even have one on the bed.

masses of candles - candles everywhere. I’m lucky enough to have an open fire in London so burn permissable fuel. Makes it very cosy.

I have no recommendations for clothing as it basically never rains here and we had 2 frosts last year so didn’t need cold clothing.

Rain hat, mine has a big brim that keeps it off my glasses. Umbrellas are annoying.
Knee high wool and silk mix socks - I have bought DM several pairs from John lewis as gifts specifically for winter dog walking, she barely takes them off.

Long sleeved thermal tops, have a look at uniqlo heat tech. Merino wool, Dilling is good for this.

Embrace winter walks - truly some of the most beautiful scenery is during the cold months. But wrap up. Layers is best.

Remember there is no such thing as bad weather. Only bad clothes.

❄️❄️❄️

I find the traditional holidays are quite a useful way to mark the changing seasons and lean into autumn, winter and early spring - I really got into this during the covid lockdowns in order to have something to look forward to and celebrate and managed to have something every few weeks to anticipate and prepare for!

Autumn - harvest festivals, halloween, bonfire night
Winter - advent, solstice, christmas, new year, candlemas/Lupercalia/Imbolc, valentine's day
Early spring - 1st day of spring, spring equinox/Ostara

I also have a nature/seasonal almanac in the loo(!) so I feel like I'm always up on what to look out for when I'm walking the dog - changing seasons around me keeps everything interesting. There are some very lovely almanacs out there.

And finally there's all the hygge/nesting that you can do in the colder months. Things I'm actively looking forward to that it's just too warm for right now:
-soups/stews/casseroles
-baking anything - crumbles, pies, bread, cakes, biscuits (too hot to turn the oven on right now)
-making a whole pot of tea or a mug of hot chocolate just for me and getting lost in a book while the rain patters on the window
-wrapping up warm to have a walk outside in crisp cold weather
-the feeling of coming inside after a wet blowy walk and putting on warm dry clothes, socks and slippers
-coming from outside into a cosy pub that has a fire going
-going to the beach in winter and feeling the power of wind and waves

Recommendations for raincoats - check out @ ellypear on instagram who has a big roundup of the best ones for different needs/budgets (saved in her highlights). I have a whisper thin one from Barbour that I adore - has a back vent so it breathes very well, but there are so many good ones out there.

For a warm waterproof dog walk coat I have the Seasalt Janelle which is a classic for a reason. Keeps me dry from head to knees and then with knee-high wellies I'm completely dry even in horizontal Cornish rain.

Wellies - again, so much depends on your preference. I have a pair of Le Chameau wellies which were about £80 at a farm supply depot, and I wear them practically daily in winter walking the dog for miles. My friend swears by her Blundstones which she wears with thick welly socks.

Umbrella - I generally only use these when in London commuting, as if it's wet it's often windy too and then your umbrella blows inside out. Also I like having my hands free. Some good reviews here though: www.theguardian.com/thefilter/2025/nov/04/best-umbrellas-tested-uk

My kind of thread… I have winters down.

I have a BLUNT umbrella. It’s never blown inside out. Expensive but worth it. Buy standard size because the bigger ones are VERY big.

Proper waterproof shell jacket. Look for taped seams and proper construction. Recommend Patagonia.

Shoes… I live in my platform ankle hunters day to day. They are so comfy. Casual and smart. In black you can honestly wear them anywhere. City or country https://www.sam-turner.co.uk/products/hunter-boots-womens-play-short-wellington-boots

Invest in beautiful socks.

Mitten gloves with a fingerless wear option so you can actually use your phone.
Nice matching hat and/or snood scarf.

I mainly wear leggings in winter because yes they are thin, but if they get wet they dry quickly. Recommend OYSHO comfortlux.

Drinks - white chocolate mocha, hot chocolate with Hennessy,

Stews, dumplings, pan roasts, pies. Enjoy the decadence of winter eating.

Book a holiday for end of Jan. A winter one. Somewhere snowy. That is very exciting and different. And the buzz will take you through to spring, then bam. Summer smacks you in the face.

Plan a garden. If you sow you can start as early as Jan if super keen. This will keep you occupied. Plant bulbs in pots in autumn. Watch them begin to unfurl.

Movies, walks, pub fire afternoons. Books, Interior DIY, I Love winter.

I love autumn and winter. My dog taught me how to love it. The key is high quality natural fibres that breathe, excellent wellies, wool socks, breathable waterproof. I love Didrikson stuff for waterproofs and jackets. The fit is incredible and they are extremely hard wearing. I love nothing more than a morning walk in any weather, the clean, fresh, crisp air. Then coming back to the (gas) log burner (two second to turn on, extremely efficient, no bad particles), doing some baking, sipping hot chocolate and reading old classics. I have Mary Shelley Frankenstein lined up for my autumn read. This is the first year in 16 years that I won’t have my faithful friend by my side on my autumn walks but he taught me the joy of appreciating all that autumn and winter have to offer and I will keep his memory alive by remembering how he loved to run amongst huge piles of autumn leaves. 🍁 🍂

Like you I have fallen out of love with summer now I’m older.

Oh and join a local gym with spa if you can. Outdoor swimming with a sauna is my ultimate winter bliss 🤤

Put the heating on
Fairy lights
Have hobbies you can do regardless of the weather
Generally just don't think about the weather so much
Cook warming meals, get good at cooking and look forward to dinner every night
Realise how beautiful winter landscapes are. Stop centring summer so much generally. Cultivate an appreciation for stark bare trees, foggy breath, twilight at 4pm, frosty mornings, vivid sunsets.
Get outside daily. Appreciate how the world looks when it's grey. Here in scotland I adore looking at the mountains when the top is shrouded in clouds, there's nothing more beautiful
Take up photography- things photograph so much better when you have diffused grey light
Have blue eyes so you appreciate when the sun isn't out 😂

Oh i thought of some more!!!
Plant spring bulbs in the autumn to look forward to
Appreciate plants in winter- Dogwood with its vivid red and yellow stems, the barks of tibetan cherry and silver birch, fir trees with drips of rain on the needles...
Get some proper good quality handmade fairisle or arran jumpers .you'll be cosy and look stylish
I love all seasons, I can be your personal seasonal motivational speaker 😅

I love all of these thank you so much! Going to make a to do list when I get home. Thank you to everyone who replied with such thoughtful suggestions!

invest in a fire pit, get some warm throws, rattan chairs. Perhaps a nice outside light.
how about, if it’s within budget a pergola that has a solid roof. That way you have shelter when it’s drizzly.
invest in quality welly boots.
I have a waterproof poncho, which I love as there is so much more room under it for layers.
simple things like having a pot by your window that you fill with flowers that flower in the autumn and winter. Change it every couple of months to have flowers always there.
walks on a beach that’s blowing and cold followed by fish and chips, you can’t beat it.
autumn wreath on your door.

I struggle with the dark short days but have trained my mind to cope so that it really is only the first 6 weeks of the year that are still tough. In Autumn, there's yhe whole hygge thing - fairy lights, candles, crunching colourful leaves underfoot, comforting meals with vibrant autumnal veg, getting the slow cooker on, baking! Getting outside for a walk/preferred exercise every day, whatever the weather. Agree with PP re winter outdoor swim/spa and ski trip late Jan/early Feb too!

Log burner ready, chimney swept, large pile of dry logs under cover.
Decent fur lined boots, Boisie sweaters, a good warm waterproof jacket, glamorous gloves, I have a Cossack hat too.

A cold travel pack in the car boot.

A repertoire of comforting winter foods - cassoulet, chilli, coq au vin, seafood risotto, venison sausages.

Stocks of lip salve, moisturised tissues, lemsip, those numbing throat lozenges, olbas oil.

Ugg Adirondack hiking boots. The best bloody boots I've ever had. Totally waterproof and very warm. The dog and I did hundreds of miles of walking last winter and not once did I have cold or damp feet.

Cannot recommend them highly enough! I bought the old style version, £100ish from Brand Alley.

Two food book recommendations to add:
Roast Figs, Sugar Snow by Diana Henry which is all recipes for the colder months - the chapters are Cheese, Nuts, Pumpkin/Squash, Winter Veg, Game, Pork, Smoked Food, Apples and pears, Plums and Damsons, Herbs and Spices, Hedgerow and Maple Syrup. I've never had a duff recipe from Diana Henry and they're not cheffy either - highly recommend.

And the other is Nigel Slater's Christmas Chronicles - there's even an annual read-along here on MN. It's written in a diary format starting on 1st November and ending after Epiphany I think - there are recipes, but he's a wonderful writer and really makes the whole season come alive as well as suggesting things to do along the way. eg. every year I make the soaked apricots in November when he does, which I have given as christmas presents to the DC's teachers.

I make a real effort to get out. I love summer as can get out in the long evening for dog walks after work. My step count drops drastically in the winter (north west - it's dark and wet).

So I need to plot lit routes I can take from the house (sans dog as she's not interested in pavement walking).