It cracks me up that the first day of winter is December 21st. I consider that the middlish of winter since the days only get longer after that. In the middle of winter there has been early morning shoveling, lots of cookie baking, mugs of steaming tea, grumpy engines that did not want to be roused and a pair of flannel sheets that go through the wash and right back on the bed because they are so cozy nothing else compares on a howling Saturday morning. But what seems cozy in November is claustrophobic misery in February. Winters in the Midwest are a marathon.
Here are my tips on how to prevent winter-induced insanity.
Own a pretty coat
If you have to wear 10 layers, at least make the last one a pretty one. Bonus if it's a warm pretty jacket.
Bake something with butter
No one will see an extra 2 pounds under 10 layers anyway.... that's what I tell myself. And even if you don't eat it, your house will smell amazing. No substitute for baking on a winter day.
Get some great smelling product
If skin were deserts, mine would be the Sahara. I spend a little extra on conditioner and lotion in the winter. It's a small comfort in an otherwise grim beauty situation.
Find an author that you love
Among my favorite lazy, feel-good reads are Agatha Christie, John D. MacDonald, and Earl Stanley Gardner. The best Sunday afternoon this winter was spent on a couch with an Earl Stanley Gardner, alternately dozing and reading. Bliss.
Get a hobby
My loving husband has tons of hobbies and he never gets depressed. Even when living with La Groucha all winter long. I don't ever knit in the summer, but the urge is strong in the winter.
Wear bright colors
I figure if I'm not going to see color anywhere else, I may as well have it on so I can just look down. I favor scarves for a source of warmth and a hit of color.
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