Some days have been rainy, windy, dark… and just plain freezing. I’m not loving it, BUT every time I start to spiral into dramatic thinking—like, “That’s it. It’s been four weeks, one day, 18 hours and 39 minutes since the start of winter, and I cannot take it anymore!”—I try to catch myself, turn it around, and squeeze out a few positives. I mean, surely there are things to enjoy about winter… right?
So this season, I’ve set a goal: to (gulp) embrace winter.
With that in mind, today I’m sharing seven things I love. Wait—no. Seven things I like. Actually… let’s go with enjoy. That feels like a safe middle ground between love and like, and far, far away from hate. Don’t you agree?
So here we go – seven things I enjoy about winter.
7 Things I Enjoy About Winter
No Insects, Anywhere!
Yep, it’s too cold even for the bugs–so that’s a huge bonus. I’m terrified of anything that crawls. Ladybugs and ants are acceptable, but anything bigger and I’m outta there!
It’s no secret that I love hot summer days — but the moment a giant cockroach crosses my path, the first thing I think is, ok, maybe winter’s not so bad. We have our place sprayed for bugs, so I’m pretty safe at home. But there’s always that one Terminator-type cockroach that takes the catchphrase “I’ll be back” way too seriously— shudder.
Warm Lights
As you know, sadly, winter means shorter days, and it starts getting dark around 5 to 5:30 pm. But the upside is that I get to light all the pretty tealights and switch on the lamps. I also love burning scented candles, along with the simple white ones I buy in a box of 20 from IKEA. The house just feels so cozy with all the warm, flickering light.
The Scandinavians really know what they’re doing when it comes to surviving long, dark winters. I like to take a leaf out of their hygge manual and make the house feel warm, cozy and glowy with soft lighting.
Hot Drinks
I’m usually a tea drinker in the evenings, but in winter I like to mix things up a bit. Sometimes I’ll have a cup of Swiss Miss hot chocolate because it’s the best!
Cozy Throws
I keep a basket of throw covers in the lounge room, and we all love using them when we’re snuggled up watching TV.
We also have throws on the lounge, but we don’t use those — they belong to Mochi, our cat, who loves to chew on them. She’s so naughty… cute but naughty.
Comfort Food
I think I could eat comfort food all year round because it’s just so delicious, but I especially love it when it’s cold. We’ve been eating soup lately — correction, I’ve been eating soup. My family doesn’t like soup (I can’t understand this!), but they love everything else.
So we all have been enjoying things like casseroles, pot roast, cottage pie, lasagna, and roasts with gravy — always lots and lots of delicious gravy. Mmmm, I’m getting hungry again.
Winter Fashion
Okay, I have to give it to winter fashion. Even a non-winter-lover like me has to admit it’s one of the things I enjoy most about winter.
Once I get past the shock of peeling off my pyjamas in our chilly bedroom to put on something a little more exciting, I love playing around with layers — mixing and matching cosy jumpers, scarves, and boots. There’s just something quite elegant about bundling up in a classic coat.
Sometimes I wonder if I could get away with wearing pyjamas all day, as long as I added a stylish coat and scarf. Maybe not. Oh well. Winter definitely wins for classy dressing.
Movie Marathons and Binge-Watching
Winter is the perfect excuse to stay in and enjoy movie marathons or binge-watch favourite shows, minus the guilt. I mean, what else can you do when it’s too cold and miserable to go anywhere unless absolutely necessary?
Yep, I love wrapping myself up on the couch and zoning out while the cold rages outside. Plus, snacks. Always snacks.
So there you have it — seven solid reasons to enjoy winter this year.
Wow, I’m proud of myself. I honestly didn’t think I’d come up with even one! When I started this post, I thought, “Why am I even bothering? I don’t like winter at all.” But these seven reasons are straight from the heart, and now I’ve got them ready to pull out whenever I need a little reminder. I’m working on swapping out complaining for a bit of gratitude over here — brrrrr!
What’s one thing you enjoy about winter? I’m always looking for new cozy ideas to add to my list.
I hate most things about winter but it does have it’s good points.
Ahh! I said yesterday I can’t wait until winter as that’s when all the bugs disappear. I am so over the little flies which appear here at this time of year.
I love the cosy feeling when I light candles in the winter and hot chocolate! Yum! x
The only thing I like about winter is getting cozy!
I used to hate winter too, but I like it now. It’s more than just finding a winter hobby, like skiing, it’s also just allowing yourself a season of taking it easy. I like that you included binge watching and blankets. I always feel guilty if I am not outside enjoying every bit of the nice weather in summer, but in winter, there is no guilt! We are “allowed” to be inside 🙂
Good luck with this goal!
I think you listed all the things I enjoy that make winter bearable. It will never ever be my favorite season and it is so easy to think about all the things I detest about our cold icy winters but I try really hard to focus on those positives like lots of snuggly meals in front of the fire and cozy sweaters. That said I’m glad I have at least a few more months before I have to deal with all that. Good luck with your new winter attitude; it takes awhile to adopt it but it is definitely possible (even if it slips sometimes and you curse winter under your breath now and then).
I love finding a warm patch of sun, just like the cats!
I like your list, but even with these comforting things, I hate winter. I grew up in an area where winter meant gray skies and no sun. I have more energy with the sun and lots of light.
I love your list and these do make winter more appealing! I used to hate winter, but I find it quite a cosy season now. The only thing about winter that bothers me is the flu season and the coughs and colds that it brings! Urghhhh.
Have a fab weekend, lovely! x