a hazy shade of winter: enjoying the cold months beyond the holidays

photo: tiffany mitchell

Now that the holiday season is drawing to a close, the excitement and festivity that accompanies it usually slows to a depressing halt. We face several months of grey cold, hazy wintertime, and waiting for spring. But this isn't how it should be! Even if the holidays are over, we should still enjoy the remaining winter months to their fullest. Stop longing for flowers and rays of sunshine: instead, cozy up by the fireplace with a cup of tea and a good winter read, and enjoy January and February!
   

Celebrate the 12 days of Christmas. When I'm in denial after Christmas Day, and feel like tearing down all my decorations would just be too depressing, I suddenly realise that I should simply celebrate the twelve days of Christmas! This traditional celebration lasts from December 25 to January 5, and includes gift-giving either just on Christmas, on each of the twelve days, or just on the Twelfth Night. Whether you want to draw out your gift-giving for the holidays or just do something special and festive each day (Bake a new type of Christmas cookie! Keep listening to Christmas carols! Make some decorations for next year!), this is the perfect excuse.

photo: scotchandscones

Don't toss your decorations. Sure, big red bows and jingle bells can go back in storage boxes, but keep your Christmas lights, wreaths, and tree! Natural decorations with pine green, snow white, ivory, deep brown, and burlap colours are fitting for the entire winter season. Christmas lights can be used practically anywhere in your home for soft lighting: I have lights placed on top of the cabinets in my kitchen, draped from the ceiling above my bar, entwined through the headboard on my bed, and roped around my floor-length mirror. Additionally, some decorations (like paper snowflakes hung in the window, a boxwood wreath, or pine clippings tied with white ribbon) don't need to be restricted to Christmastime, but make beautiful decorations throughout winter. One of my favourite wintertime home decorations is my starlight, which I found after seeing similar lights at a Christkindl market in Chicago. Wooden dala horses also make wonderful wintertime folk decorations.  

photo: werenna's warehouse 

Enjoy unique wintertime crafts and foods. One of the things I'm doing this week is creating soy candles using dried fir needles from my Christmas tree and pine fragrance oils. I'm also going to make pinecone garlands to keep around the house for the remainder of winter. Keep pinecones in natural white baskets in the lavatory or on a side-table. Experiment with making your own nourishing, natural soaps and lotions with a pine scent. Apply flattened pine needles to glass votives. Enjoy the flavourful dishes and drinks of the season: this is the time of the year for warm spices, roasted meats, and root vegetables. Bake up some shepherd's pie or root vegetable pie, and use blood orange in a salad. Make rosettes (a traditional Swedish recipe) with lots of powdered sugar. Indulge in some of winter's dark, sweet, and spicy craft beers: Williamsburg Alewerks Coffeehouse Stout, Star Hill Snow Blind, and Harpoon Winter Warmer are a few of my favourites. These are things you can really only enjoy during the cold months!

Cuddle up next to the fireplace with a good winter read. If you're lucky enough to have a fireplace or wood-burning stove, enjoy it while you can! Pick up one of our favourite winter reads (His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman, A Song of Ice and Fire by George Martin, Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy, the Harry Potter series by JK Rowling), brew a pot of black tea, and find a comfy spot by the fire. Don't forget a big cozy sweater!

Listen to beautiful, reflective music. We love unusual and desolate folk music anyway, but this is the perfect season to enjoy artists like Sigur Ros (an Icelandic folk band), Balmorhea,  or more mainstream artists like Mumford & Sons and Simon & Garfunkel. This powerful and inspiring music reminds us of cold woodlands, untouched lands, the northern lights, and pagan rituals.

Get outside. The plausibility of this might depend on where you live, but if at all possible, try to spend some time out in the snow and cold! Hunt for pinecones in the woods, go on a hike, spend an hour ice-skating, throw snowballs for your puppy to (try to) catch! It might not be as comfortable as a day at the beach, but bundling up for a nippy afternoon in the frost-covered woods can be magical and exhilarating. And you always have a hot cup of cocoa next to the fireplace to look forward to upon your return!

photo: travel marvel

Don't waste these beautiful, desolate winter days pining for spring. Embrace the enchantment of winter while you can, and let spring come in its own time. For now, gaze at the clear stars on a night following snowfall, light a pine-scented candle, and fall asleep next to the fireplace.

What we're listening to: Christmas music

'Tis the season!  We're officially into December, and personally I've started listening to a great deal of Christmas music.  I thought it'd be fun to put together a mix for you guys - a blend of classical, alternative, and pop tunes to get you in the holiday mood.

The quest for the perfect winter coat

It was snowing yesterday morning when I woke up.  I live in southern Sweden, but even so, it's kind of early for snow.  I was so psyched when I saw it, until the realization that my fall peacoat wasn't going to stand much of a chance against below-freezing temperatures dawned on me.  It's officially that time of year when we start to go shopping for layers.  Scarves, new pants, boots, mittens, and of course, winter outerwear.  I am having a hell of a time figuring out what kind of coat I want, there are way too many options.  I figured I'd break this down, so you guys can help me decide. :)

Mackage

Let's start with vests.  There's something adorably collegiate about the combination of a chunky knit sweater or a soft layering shirt beneath a puffy vest such as this understated Gray Colorblock Plaid Puffy Vest from Trou‎vé.  You can get a vest with a detachable hood, such as this furry one from the North Face.  Even without sleeves, that will keep you super warm.

If keeping warm isn't really an issue where you are, I recommend just going for a leather jacket.  You can't go wrong with this, it's one of those things you'll be able to wear forever.  My favorite adaptation of the leather jacket is one with a bit of shearling, perhaps lining the collar like this Mackage Moto Jacket.  If you want a warm leather jacket, you can get one with an extra lining, but the added bulkiness might detract from the slimming aesthetic of a leather jacket.

Trou‎vé

Peacoats are great for layering, and if you get a long one that almost goes down to your knees, like this one from Victoria's Secret, you might be able to survive the winter.  But you'll need scarves and sweaters abundant for underneath (not necessarily a problem...).  If you want something a little flashier, you can get one with fur trim, like this one from ASOS.

Peacoat from ASOS

Speaking of fur, if you want to look like a true fashionista you can get your hands on a faux fur coat or best.  These are a little too crazy for me, but I'm seeing them more and more often...  Check out this one from Revolve Clothing: it will make you look like you killed Hedwig and turned her into a vest.

If you're going to get a long coat, you might also consider a trench.  They usually tend to be better-suited to rainy autumn weather, but you can layer up underneath and be ready for snow season as well.  The best thing about these is that they're windproof, so if you live in London or Paris... or Seattle, it's a much more realistic option than a full arctic parka.

Revolve Clothing

But if you live in Scandinavia (like me, currently), and the words winter is coming raise hairs on the back of your neck, then you have to go all-in and buy the most bulky, down-stuffed, lined parka you can afford... windproof, snowproof, stormproof, lifeproof.  I found some relatively affordable options.  If you like the rustic look, read Kinfolk, or call yourself a hipster, check out this rough-looking winter coat with plaid lining by Obey - ASOS has a cheaper option with plaid sleeves here.  When it comes to fur-lined hoods, Mango knows their shit: I can't get enough of this dark green parka's hood... in fact, this is probably my favorite out of everything I've looked at.  Shearling lining is great too, and this ASOS jacket with a whole detachable shearling lining is probably the steal of the season.  It comes in black and khaki.  Mango offers this "teddy-lined" hooded parka if you're not into fur but want a soft lining to your coat.  Not a hood person?  Victoria's Secret has this cute puffy moto coat.  It almost makes me like the puffy coat style.

Can't decide which is cutest?  Yeah, me neither.  I ended up choosing a bunch of options, and then I let my wallet make the decision for me and just went with the cheapest one.  Boom.

Winter is coming | a dozen ways to prepare

It's now 100% autumn, and I'm sure many of our readers have already started to feel the chill of winter creeping in - here in Sweden, the leaves are all pretty much gone, and the other morning I woke up to snow.  Snow.  In mid-October.  Winter is coming (I happen to be reading Game of Thrones right now, which only makes it more fun to talk about this), and to be honest I can't wait.  I love winter, it is by far my favorite season.  But the anticipation leading up to it - autumn - can be just as fun.  Here is my personal checklist of things to do to prepare yourself mentally and physically for the coming months of darkness and cold.

1. Start getting up earlier.  The days are already starting to get shorter (by December in Sweden the sun will be setting at 3pm!), and your body will start to drag as that sun vanishes earlier and earlier.  Beat the blues by conditioning yourself to get up an hour (or two!) earlier than normal.  Use that extra time to...
2. Exercise in the morning.  Best winter weight gain by starting this practice now, in the fall.  Because we spend so much time sleeping and sitting around and eating once it gets cold out, the best way to keep your metabolism revved is to start your day with some simple movement.  Yoga or some basic ballet conditioning are a great way to wake up your body, and they won't seem as daunting as a jog in the snow - although, if you're a morning person and feel compelled, definitely go do that instead!  Personally I like to take it slow in the morning, so setting the small goal of doing a couple Sun Salutations in the morning means that I'm much more likely to actually get up and do them.
3. Buy a gigantic sweater.  Nothing is comfier than a sweater 10 sizes too big.  They are one of the easiest things to find at second-hand stores, so do a little thrift shopping and invest in a giant frumpy knit sweater that covers your butt.  It will be your favorite thing to fall asleep in, or to curl up in with a book when the snow falls.
4. Let there be light.  Invest in a couple new scented candles or string lights to add a bit of cozy ambiance to your room.  You'll love it during those long nights and cloudy days.
5. Get re-acquainted with your bookshelf.  With the holiday season coming up, it might be wiser not to buy a bunch of new books.  Instead, go through the books you already have.  Look harder, and you will likely find a book or two that you never read.  Even better, you might find an old favorite to re-read, like a Jane Austen novel or The Golden Compass.  If nothing catches the eye, borrow a book from a friend.  A second-hand book, with its creased spine and folded corners, fits the autumn spirit better.
6. Take it easy on the pastries.  Your body is going to suddenly love fatty and sugary foods more than ever, because your polar bear instinct is kicking in for winter.  Just be aware of this and don't go too overboard with the holiday chocolates.  Instead...
7. Get some vitamin D!  Start eating salmon, milk, eggs, and ricotta cheese if you start feeling a bit of the winter blues.  These are some of the top sources of vitamin D!  Pretty much all fish will be a good option.
8. Go for walks.  That crisp autumn air is good for you, and don't you just love layering up and grabbing your favorite scarf?  Take your BFF or your dog for a stroll through the park and admire the orange and red leaves.
9. Kill some time.  Come up with a new pastime in advance, something to fill those idle hours of the coldest months of the year.  Do you want to master a dozen new breakfast dishes?  Write a novel?  Find something that can done in the comfort of your home, and get started now.
10. Revamp your wardrobe.  Evaluate your 2012 fall/winter wardrobe.  Are you boots falling apart?  Do you need a new coat?  The five core elements to a fall ensemble are: ankle boots, coat, scarf, sweater, and dark trousers.  Shop for a new one of any of these; you'll certainly be using it enough to make it worth the investment!
11. Get re-acquainted with friends.  Look up a couple buddies you haven't caught up with in a while.  Go out for coffee.  The end of the year should always be devoted to re-establishing the connections that you want to keep in the new year.
12. Find a snuggle buddy.  Dog or human.  Unpack a knit blanket that hasn't been seen since last winter and you're all set.