Small winter pleasures: a list.

 

Every year as the calendar turns over to January, I think: here we go.

My friends and family in Texas always ask, at Christmastime: Is it snowing up there in Boston? My verbal answer is usually Not yet, and my silent one, which comes right after it, is something like: Real winter starts in January. 

December was cold and bright this year, but now we are into the season of snow, wintry mix, biting winds and cold rain, not to mention record-breaking cold over the long weekend and (still) much less daylight than I’d like. We are – hallelujah – past the solstice, so the days are getting longer, but winter in the Northeast can feel long no matter how much sunshine there is.

So, as I often do, I thought I’d make a list of the good stuff: those small pleasures that are (mostly) limited to this less-than-favorite season of mine. Here they are:

• Slicing open a fresh pomegranate and scooping out the seeds – like handfuls of little tart jewels.
• Clementines, peeled and eaten out of hand, juicy slices bursting with tart sweetness. (Bonus: the scent lingers on my hands.)
• Chai, for me, is a three-season pleasure, but it’s especially comforting on bitter mornings.
• Winter sunrises out my kitchen window (see above): blue and gold, sometimes streaked with pink clouds.

• Growing paperwhites near those same kitchen windows. Watching their long stems grow feels like magic to me.
• Hearty, spicy soups and stews – nothing better on a bitter night.
• Those diamond-bright, blue-sky mornings – if I’m properly bundled up, I love them.
• Sitting in the right spot on a morning subway train to catch the sunshine flooding into my face.
• Morning light on the deep-blue waves of the Charles River, and watching the ice patches spread (it’s fascinating).

• Snuggling up under the faux-fur blanket I’ve had for years. (Related: plaid slippers and fleece-lined tights.)
• Dreaming of spring travel.
• Twinkle lights that linger after the holidays.
• Cozy handknits, especially my workhorse Evangeline gloves and my pink Gin Fizz.
• Long walks in the clean cold air, with hot tea – preferably Earl Grey – at the end of them.

I don’t know if I’ll ever be a true winter lover, but I am trying to develop a mind for winter, as Adam Gopnik says (to counterbalance the grumbling). It helps to notice and celebrate these daily pleasures.

What are the small delights of winter where you are?