This is one of my favorite times of the year! I love how fall quickly slips into winter and then everything is still and dead for a few months before spring finds its way back into the world. December is when bears start to hibernate and I started to hibernate too. They stay mostly inactive through January and as the earth starts to warm up they either hide longer or adapt by growing thicker fur and roughing it. Humans tend to resist seasonal rhythms and I've been on a journey to get back to those natural roots. I started celebrating small seasons, though mine were based on my natural pace and flow and not explictly on natural rhythms of the earth and wildlife. I have read that the concept of "small seasons" has helped many people get through the cold dark months because it feels less like "winter is coming" and more like a series of rhythms during colder months.

A few years ago I read the book Wintering by Katherine May and it really helped me appreciate what this time of year does for us. I know that a lot of people deal with SAD this time of year and that can be impactful (I experience SAD in the summer), but I think it's useful to remind yourself that only humans self-pressure to be productive and active in the colder months. Animals that are active in the winter are so for survival, not to meet social obligations. It's okay to slow down right now.

Find what brings joy - do you like the Christmas light displays? Drive or stroll through a neighborhood. Look online to see if there are any known neighborhoods that go all out. Treat yourself to a little date doing something that will make you smile.

Look up the concept of hygge and figure out how you can improve your space. Add a mood lamp, get a blanket, get cozy in a pillow nest, etc.

Read some spooky winter ghost stories! A Christmas Carol is not the only winter ghost story. (Print my haunted winter mini zine!)

If you are feeling weird about staying in or early dark, take a moment to appreciate the chance to retreat. What about this is good, even if it sucks for you? (I get more cuddle time with my cat, I can catch up on stuff at home, I'm letting myself rest/do nothing.)

Did that make you puke in your throat a little? You should probably do a dance party instead.

Take a walk and make yourself notice the colors that you don't usually notice during winter.

Winter, like all seasons, is a chance to celebrate the passage of time and all that you’ve learned, the ways you’ve grown, and what you’ve left behind. Seasons are constantly a lesson in letting go. It's a good time to reflect on a set of questions and compare your answers with the previous year to see how much you've changed.

Want to do the bare minimum activity this season? Make a winter bingo card for yourself. All you have to do is get a BINGO, you don't have to do everything on the card. (Here is mine.)