Happy 2023! Now that all the festivities are over and the decorations are packed away for another year, it is time to venture back out into the world again. Many people will have returned to work today and they will have felt understandably glum at the prospect. I used to feel the same! For me, however, this is the first January in four years where I have not dreaded going back to the vet hospital after the New Year bank holiday. I didn't get very much time off during the festivities and for the past two years I spent New Year's Eve working 12 hour shifts, with only New Year's Day off because we didn't open on bank holidays, so I'm very happy to be free of all that! I feel for my former colleagues though.
Now I am working entirely from home again, so I can stay snug as a bug in my house, while others trudge off to the office and clear the ice off their cars. I feel very grateful to 2022 for this positive change in my circumstances. My current working life is far less stressful than it was at the vets! Now I work in a relaxed manner, in lovely surroundings, scented candles burning and a cup of hot chocolate beside me.
January is a month that a lot of people dislike. It's dark from 4pm, it's cold and damp, or snowy. Overnight frosts mean that they have to get up even earlier to de-ice the car before they can drive to work, then it's dark when they drive home again in the evening. With Christmas over, January and February can seem like a very dark time indeed, but it doesn't have to be, because although we are in the very depths of winter right now, there are still things that you can do to brighten your life and make the New Year a time of gentle growth.
I love winter. I love this darkest time of the year and it is when I feel most in alignment with the natural world around me. I like the early dusk and the longer nights, the chill in the air and the excuse to bunker down and hibernate for a while. If I were a flower I would be one that blooms in winter! This is when I feel most at home with the season, and while I do miss all the brightness of Yuletide, I find ways to hang onto the festive atmosphere as long as possible. For me winter is when I start to blossom!
I tend to go into January in a very gentle way. I light candles on New Year's Eve, in gratitude for all that the old year brought my way, then I make my list of goals on New Year's Day. Then I do nothing. I don't join a gym on January 1st. I don't rush out to the January sales. I don't start a diet. I don't even consider Dry January, because there is still mulled wine to be enjoyed! In short, I don't set myself up to fail. I simply accept that while Yuletide might be over, winter is really just beginning and it's a marathon, not a sprint.
Winter blooming is about being kind to yourself during the darkest, coldest months of the year. The reason behind gift giving at Yuletide is so that people have what they need to help them endure the winter, so be sure to make the most of your Christmas presents. Light those winter scented candles, use the fancy bath-bombs and lotions that were in your stocking, bake a few goodies. When you save things for best you are keeping joy at bay.
To bloom in winter means that you take extra care of yourself, living in accordance with the season. It makes no sense to start a diet in deep winter when your body needs hearty foods to keep warm. Start the diet in spring instead. Use this time of year to make plans for the bright season ahead. De-clutter and organize so that your home feels fresh and pleasant to be in. Create little rituals that nourish your soul after a long day at work. When I used to come home from a 12 hour day at the vet hospital I would hop in the shower, then drop into bed exhausted - but I always made sure that I had put a CD of beautiful music on to play in the bedroom as I fell asleep, usually something by Hauser or the Two Cellos, or sometimes it was Disney Classical.
Winter can be hard to endure, so simple rituals like this can be something you look forward to during the working day. It can help to make winter more pleasurable, more cosy. Curling up into bed with a mug of fancy hot chocolate and a new book or a film to enjoy can become a welcome retreat. Nourishing your skin with face masks and lotions helps to make you feel pampered and prepared for life. Your skin needs the extra help in the harsh winter weather. Winter blooming is a way to make the dark season more enjoyable, so here are a few tips on how you can blossom this winter.
- Take down the tree but leave up a few fairy-lights to brighten your home during the darker days
- Light candles each evening to add a warm glow to the room
- Nourish yourself with hot food and warm drinks
- Go for a winter walk to put roses in your cheeks
- Go ice-skating or horse-riding in the frosty woods
- Nourish your skin with lotions and potions
- Bake something yummy, while listening to classical music
- Have festive bath times - use bath-bombs and bubbles and frolic in the water
- De-clutter - one drawer or cupboard a day, until its all done. No rush, no pressure.
- De-clutter your Christmas decorations before you put them away. You'll thank yourself next December!
- Buy a winter flowering house plant, or plant them in your garden
- Organize your library of books
- Rest, read, relax, nap
- Have a massage
- Play beautiful soothing music as you fall asleep
- Use a body scrub in the shower after a bad day to get rid of all the bad vibes!
- Plan time to rest and do nothing, lazy days are good for the soul
- Whatever your job, don't work too hard! Winter is meant to be a time of rest
- It's still theatre season! Go and see the ballet or a show
- Wear thermals!
- Remember that mulled wine was the staple drink for centuries, so drink it until spring if you want to!
Whether you love winter as I do, or you hate and and can't wait for summer to come, teaching yourself to blossom in winter will ensure that you no longer dread the dark months of the new year. I know that many people have been dreading this winter in particular, due to the rising cost of energy and so on. I spent most of the autumn shopping, trying to prepare and buy my elderly mother everything I could think of to keep her warm this winter, from portable electric heaters to fingerless gloves!
I know this can be a hard season, now more than ever, so I hope that this little post has helped you to see winter as a magical time of both hibernation and active snowy walks, of hearty food and restful sleep. Use this time to recharge your batteries, organize your space and set a few goals for the next 12 months. Go into this new year gently. See yourself as a winter blooming flower, treat yourself accordingly, and soon you will blossom prettily amid the snow!
Stay warm and safe
Blessed Be
Marie x
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