Still January. A Midwinter Survival Guide
A few signs that it’s January:
In a moment of desperation I dug out the self-tanner that I purchased out of desperation last January. I have been lathering myself up in said lotion daily.
What texture is your skin? Lizard? Snake? Alligator??? There are tubs of lotions around my house, literal tubs, with industrial sounding names like “lotion for hard-working hands” and none of them can combat the dry skin.
Chapsticks too are simultaneously everywhere and somehow never where we need them.
I’ve purchased multiple contraptions to help organize my stuff. If I’m being honest, I accidentally purchased 3 Ikea toy boxes instead of one. It’s a long story. It’s been a long month.
I finally got around to creating our Shutterfly calendar for the year. It starts in February. When it arrived I burst out laughing because I forgot to add a photo to the cover page. I also did not update the auto-generated text so it says “A Year with the Smith Family.” This will be an accurate memento of how our 2025 kicked off.
Yep, it’s still January.
I’ve been trying to think of ways to embrace the season as it is, with or without the snow. Here are some ways I’m honoring the season, even without the joys of sledding and xc skiing.
I am sharing some ideas from my home. However, the real question here is… how can you embrace the season for what it is, instead of wishing it were somehow different?
Embracing the darkness
I’m enjoying playing with my kids in the dark. We’ve put flashlights and battery operated candles in magnatile towers, inside dollhouses, and inside our forts. The other night my son turned off all the lights, distributed headlamps, turned on Dragon Force, and we had something akin to a rager in our living room.
Evening strolls by headlamp
Fires, always with the fires at Boreal Bliss. In hearths, outdoors, candles, we love to hype fires.
Journal Prompt: how have you embraced the long evenings this winter? Do you have any fun ideas for embracing these long nights before spring arrives?
Embracing the ice
We’ve been making ice ornaments with birdseed. We’ve had so much fun watching the birds eat from our ice ornaments, that is, until the squirrels inevitably steal them.
We made a small path with ice lanterns made from balloons. We stuck battery operated candles in them. It was magical.
Ice skating!
Ski hills- manufactured snow for the win.
Journal Prompt: Have you noticed yourself feeling resistance and frustration related to the winter as it is? Name those feelings. Can you think of some ideas for celebrating winter as it is (even if it’s nasty and brutal out there, how can you enjoy the season indoors?)
Embracing the Indoors
Museums are a great way to pass time in winter!
Indoor yoga classes can boost your spirit
Hobbies! I’ve noticed that winter is my peak time for hobbies. I spend time on watercolors, music, reading, and writing in the long dark evenings of winter. In the summer I have better things to do!
Journal Prompt: are there museums you haven’t visited in years that you’d love to revisit? Are there museums in your area you’ve never visited? Are there any activities or hobbies you enjoy that could welcome into the winter months?
Make a list of things you loved to do in your past, but that you somehow left behind. Write 20-30 things. Then analyze the list and see if anything stands out to you as something you could try again as an adult.
And finally, are the supplies you need for your hobby carefully tucked away in a tub somewhere (inaccessible?) Can you try creating a more accessible place in your home for these items? Can you free your art supplies from the closet and make a cute art zone somewhere, somehow?
Embracing ritual
A small group of Boreal Bliss ladies embarked on The Artist’s Way on November 1st. The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron is a self-help book and creative recovery program designed to help people unlock their creativity. It’s structured as a 12-week course with weekly chapters and exercises to inspire and nurture artistic expression. A key component of the program is the Morning Pages. The idea is simple: you sit down and write three pages by hand. You don’t overthink it. You write down your complaints, your aches and pains, your to-do list, your dreams. The idea is that you are skimming the leaves off the top of the pool. You are getting all your whiney complaints out of your system. I’ve found this practice soothing and grounding.
Bryana recommended the LMNT hot cocoa. At first, my children and I were horrified when we transitioned from Swiss Miss to LMNT. My kids still won’t drink it, but I’m hooked. In the evening I love to drink some LMNT hot cocoa while reading or coloring in my art journal.
Simmer pots have sort of become my whole personality this winter. Our Dr. told us that simmer pots are an effective and hygienic way to bring moisture into the atmosphere instead of running a humidifier. In my mind, simmer pots are basically magic potions. So in other words this felt like a prescription for magic potions. I’ve gone all in. I find that cinnamon sticks, orange slices, foraged greens, and cloves pack a lot of punch in my simmer pots.
Journal Prompt: Do you have any rituals you notice you subconsciously incorporate into winter months and abandon in the summer? What are they?
If nothing comes to mind, can you think of a simple ritual you are willing to try? Get creative! Put on your witch hat and think of something uniquely your own.
