A theme I leaned into this year was “in-season”.
From foods to scents to activities to everything in between.
Of all the seasons, it’s easy to let winter slip by, unnoticed and un-relished, as we hide away in the short day length, curled upon our couches taking in the blue light of our screens.
There’s so much beauty in the winter.
It lies in stark contrast with the rest of the year, appearing as a world in decay, but it is a world on the precipice of a new beginning.
Life continues in the winter, albeit to a slow flow, like that of the maple syrup that will emerge in the coming weeks.
Below are some activities I encourage you to engage in this winter to begin to embrace the season, especially if it hasn’t been your favorite.
These activities are wonderful and adaptable if you have little ones too.
Go for a Walk or Hike
Hiking or walking in winter is such a joy.
Whether it’s before the holidays and you are walking around the neighborhood to look at the twinkling holiday lights or a crunchy, snow-filled hike in the woods, there is nothing quite like a winter walk outdoors.
The snow muffles the sound.
The wind rubs empty branches together.
Birds peck around looking for seeds & berries, leaving their footprints behind.
What else can you find, observe, and witness as you embark on your winter walk?
The Tales of Winter Enchantment and the As the Seasons Turns podcasts are delightful to listen to as you walk to truly appreciate the changing season.
Some of my favorite winter walks include Bond Lake, Lockport Nature Trail, and of course, the woods surrounding the farm.
Eat Root Vegetables & Winter Squash
Eating the food of winter, storage crops like root vegetables and winter squash, helps our bodies to embrace the winter season.
Our bodies are naturally drawn to foods that give us what our bodies need during the different seasons throughout the year.
The winter was a time of trying to survive for our ancestors.
Our bodies naturally crave the high carbohydrates in root vegetables (think potatoes, turnips) and cured winter squash (think butternut squash and pumpkins).
These foods would have been harvested in the fall, and left to cure without the need for refrigeration, to provide food and vitamins throughout the winter.
Soups, stews, roasted dishes are all found as traditional meals at this time of year, precisely because that was what was available to eat based on the climate.
You can let turnips and rutabagas shine in this Lamb Stew recipe or make a butternut squash soup.
>>> Related: How to Love & Enjoy Root Veggies
Release & Celebrate the Return of the Light
We often see winter as the darkest time of the year, especially after the holiday season.
The sun is low. It’s dark early. It’s grey.
But after the winter solstice, the daylight actually increases. The night grows shorter with each passing day.
When the winter solstice arrives on December 21, we’ve hit the longest night.
Every evening afterwards is shorter and shorter until the spring equinox arrives in March.
Thinking about seeing the winter solstice as the last of the longest nights makes me think differently about winter.
The decent into darkness is over. The return to the light emerges with each dawn.
One way to mark the winter solstice, or the new year’s arrival is with our Winter Solstice Bundle.
Use this bundle to reflect on what you want to release and leave behind as you embark on the new year and ascend from the darkness.
Put on some music, light some candles, and write down what you want to leave behind you – feelings, thoughts, behaviors, patterns – on scraps of paper.
Tie or tuck the paper into the bundle.
Then burn the bundle. Release the bad, the dark, to welcome the freshness of a new start, a new year, the light.
>>> Related: How to Use our Winter Solstice Bundle
Be Active in the Cold
There was a recent article by NPR written about how folks in the northern most climates embrace the cold winter months.
Rather than approaching the winter with dread or despair, they find ways to enjoy the cold weather and the limited sun found at the high latitudes.
It’s only recently that I realized that I unconsciously embraced this mindset too.
My husband and I went on our honeymoon to Iceland. In December.
My best friend and I traveled to Finland, Sweden, and Norway in 2018…in February.
And the following year my husband and I went back to Iceland. In February.
We were bundled in warm winter jackets, multiple layers wool-lined pants, and snow boots, hiking & exploring what these beautiful places had to offer.
While, I’m not saying you need to book a destination to a Nordic country, I am saying that with the right weather gear, you can have an enjoyable time outdoors.
And then warm up with some hot drinks and hot soups!
Rest
Ahh, rest.
If you excel at this winter past time & can educate others (including myself) on how to do this properly, please reach out.
I always have a hard time truly resting, but I always feel a strong pull to be less active as the cold weather sets in.
To me resting often includes doing something with my hands – sewing, reading, writing, drawing – as I find it difficult to just sit and be.
Sometimes, for me, rest can also include making and indulging sweet treats I don’t have time to make in the fast-paced spring and summer. Treats like thumbprint cookies with my artisan jam or pepper cookies.
Engage in Activities that Connect You to the Season
Maybe that’s sledding or snow shoeing.
Maybe it’s making a meal you only cook once a year. (Split pea soup for me.)
Or perhaps it’s decorating your living room with evergreen branches.
Whatever your “activities” are, use them to ground yourself in the winter season and mark it out as something special, something to relish.
How will you embrace winter this year?
Schul Farmstead 
3 thoughts on “6 Ways to Celebrate Winter”