Hello and happy winter solstice!
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Here in the northern hemisphere, specifically Germany, it feels like winter began weeks ago, however today marks the official commencement of the season and I’m wondering lately, where did the time go? Then, I remember - I had a baby this year, thus my brain has only a vague grasp of time through the haze of sleep deprivation and neuronal pruning that is, yes ladies, another normal part of matrescence. (I think I need to dedicate an entire post to this topic soon). I digress… Luckily, winter is a time of recuperation. Partaking in this most endearing form of indentured servitude, caring for my very own adorable bite-sized human would be considerably harder for me (especially in winter) if it were not for the gifts of seasonal living.
I began to adopt seasonal living practices in my second year of living in Germany and find it seamlessly congruent with a slow living lifestyle. As I glean time to notice and educate myself about what Mother Nature is up to; the cycles of the moon and weather, the behavior of local flora and fauna, as well as the human traditions woven in, I'm comforted in some deep way with the reminder that I too am a belonging piece in it all. Recognising an innate attachment to all creation makes it a source of wisdom and a wayfinder for me. While I wish I could say that I got into seasonal living with these thoughts alone, the truth is that I did it because embracing winter in Germany was (and is) difficult, for me. I wanted to find a balance between celebrating the other seasons while grimacing through winter.
Moving from mild and sunny northern California to Germany was like a cold wet slap in the face for someone who didn’t own a real coat. Here in northwestern Germany, November through March is normally cold, damp, and dark, often without the reprieve of snow to blanket the grey tones in bright sparkling beauty that I fondly associate with winter. The latitudinal point of Germany is 51.1657° North (about the same level as Calgary, Canada) and sun-loving creatures such as myself find it unsettling to eat breakfast and dinner in the dark, not to mention missing the sun for weeks at a time. Somehow, I got through that first bleak winter and by the next year had forged some seasonal habits that continue to give me a positive focus and fulfilment despite the challenging elements. I now look forward to the chilly dark months as a time of rest and quiet(er) reflection.
Essentially, I have learned to embrace the cold, dark winter through special activities, health practices, and habits that I reserve specially for this time of year. I began by asking myself:
What are things that are best enjoyed in winter?
This will vary by individual but as you uncover your own unique ideas, you may find more than you expected. I started with a categorized list: recipes that I are best suited to the cold months, local winter events, books, crafts, indoor hobby ideas, and of course, health practices to aid in cold adaptation. If you happen to come up with too many ideas, you can simply rotate them by week, month, even/odd years, or divide them into lone and group activities. I’m currently working on organising an annual “crafting getaway” where a few friends can share a cottage and exchange crafting skills each winter and it just may become a new winter highlight for me.
My chosen top “winter delights” that have been on repeat in recent years are: my advent calendar, attending Christmas markets, using candles instead of lamps, rotating my closet to all of the warm and cuddly things that have been in storage since the end of last winter, and crafting projects (this year, a puffed quilt and collaging). Honestly, once you get started the list is endless!
In addition, there are health practices that are well-suited to winter and help fight the seasonal blues! While eating seasonal foods is one approach, I the best ways to help my body adjust to winter is to be more conscious about cold and light exposure. I’ll explain more as we dig into my list:
Christmas markets & advent calendars – I’m spoiled at this time of year to live in Europe, where every city, town, and village from here to Paris has its own flavor of Christmas market, called “Weihnachtsmarkt”, open air markets which are often located in the most historical part of the city. The markets run every day in the month of December and it is a favorite tradition of locals to meet up for a hot spiced wine and street foods after work and on weekends leading up to the holidays. Sources say that the origins of the Christmas market date back as far as the year 1230 in parts of Austria, Germany, Switzerland, and France, but the concept has spread to many other parts of the world. I highly recommend the Christmas market in Strasbourg, France, just over Germany’s western border. The city itself glows with Christmas cheer and fantastic architecture looming over what is known as one of the oldest Christmas markets in Europe.
For a smaller treat that doesn’t involve travel or crowds, another lovely European tradition is the advent calendar. It gives me a little serotonin boost just to think of it waiting there for me open each morning and, while there are some truly beautiful professionally finished ones on the market, it’s an added joy to create your own - or to make and fill one for a loved one. Here’s a link to one I’ve enjoyed gifting.
Crafting – on rotation, I usually have multiple sewing project ideas, diy décor schemes, watercolor painting concepts, and various kinds of paper art plans . This year, inspired by my sister, I’m going to make a puff quilt. Meanwhile knitting and crochet wait on the back-burner. Whatever the project, I recommend the added fun of making it social by asking your craftiest friends for advice or inspiration. Or, if you’re looking to learn something new, Domestika.org has a wonderful array of artsy courses that are at an affordable price point. I recently enjoyed taking an embroidery class with Minia Banet of Studio Variopinto. If paying to learn something isn’t in your currently budget, fear not, the internet is bursting with free options. I’ve even successfully found videos on more obscure crafts… anyone up for underwater basket weaving ?
Seasonal (and slow!) Fashion – falling right in line after crafting are all the cozy goods. YES to ALL the heavy blankets, flannel sheets, and especially the winter wardrobe. Despite my inner minimalist and knowing that a love of material things isn’t the most wholesome, like a flower clinging to its beloved petals, I unabashedly LOVE the art of dressing. The season of velvet, woollens, silks, well-made coats, self leather boots, and squeaky rubber galoshes give my textile nature a thrill and remind me year after year that well-made things are absolutely worth the effort of thrifting/saving up for/ repairing/having. That said, I aim to practice consciousness with my fashion choices too - almost exclusively shopping second hand or from companies that use all natural and/or sustainable materials.
Shameless plug: Cup Half Full now has organic cotton T-shirt & tote bag designs available through the wholly sustainable manufacturer, TeeMill, where everything is printed on-demand, in carbon neutral factories and packaged sustainably. Check it out here!
Candles – the soft warm light of a candle can make any room cozy in this dark time of year. However, most candles are a health hazard! Burning a typical paraffin candle releases volatile organic compounds (many of which are known carcinogens) into the air, much like if someone were smoking in your home. With this in mind, please consider buying (or making!) beeswax candles, which are non-toxic and burn hotter, producing less soot and no harsh chemicals while smelling subtle and lovely. Extra points if you can find a local beekeeper to supply you!
And this brings me to health conscious tips for winter:
Light – the light spectrum, not so different from a dietary spectrum, is an important aspect of health that is often forgotten. Essentially, natural light differs throughout the day in various light wavelengths and exposure to it generates reactions in our brains which in turn play a key role in regulating circadian and hormonal cycles, such as making us feel good through serotonin boosts and moderating healthy wake/sleep cycles via the timing of cortisol and melatonin release. I won’t cover the physics and physiology details in this post but, know that exposure to blue light, via screens, LED, and fluorescent lighting, especially at night, is disruptive to our biology and has been linked to serious health problems - And, that morning natural light is especially good for you!
I started to have difficulty with sleep not long after moving to Europe and I believe much of this had to do with getting less sunlight during the day and a dramatic increase in screen time at night. I read up on it and changed my daily outdoor walking routine specifically to the morning hours while cut out most of the blue light in the evenings. My sleep returned to normal AND interestingly, I started to have vivid dreams almost every night (though I haven’t yet gone down the neurophysiological rabbit hole of exactly why that occurred).
Fortunately, one can still enjoy some light at night. While there are specialised low blue light options available, as well as glasses and screen shields, candles remain an easy and affordable alternative that emit very little blue light. Try it out (in addition to getting more daylight exposure) and see what it does for you.
If you’re interested to learn more on this topic, I highly recommend subscribing to, Brighter Days Darker Nights, here on Substack, as an excellent source of research supported information (and wonderful graphics) that is easy to grasp and practically apply.
Cold exposure – Deliberate cold exposure, whether a shirtless jog in the cold or an icy plunge, has been gaining a lot of attention in recent years, and for good reason. More and more research has shown health benefits ranging from mood stability and increased cognitive performance to muscle recovery and weight management. I first learned about the benefits of cold exposure from Wim Hof’s book, The Wim Hof Method. Wim utilises various forms of cold exposure and his own breathing techniques for mind body benefit and pretty amazing results. He holds several world records related to endurance and cold exposure. I’ve personally found cold exposure in the form of cold showers to be a game-changer. It’s invigorating and I immediately noticed that my mental alertness and feelings of contentedness increased with effects lasting hours after a cold shower. Additionally, cold exposure causes brown fat, a metabolically active tissue in mammals, to create heat - thus, I no longer feel cold when sitting around at home. There are a host of physiological benefits and the research is ever coming forth. Currently it is believed that just 11 minutes total exposure per week is plenty. If you’d like to know know more, Wim Hof’s book is a great resource, as well as researcher Dr. Susanna Søberg, aka The Thermalist Journal, here on Substack.
Happy wintering! If this was helpful to you or if you’re interested in a specific topic, let me know in the comments or via email. Thanks for reading!
xx Chesica