Not growing up closely to seasons, and my brief stint in the cold being when I was in Minnesota immediately after being cozy on the equator (at a school even diehard Minnesotans would agree it sucked)…I’m perhaps biased in my distaste for winter.

As a delicate, high-sunlight flower who doesn’t particularly care for holiday tradition, I don’t tend to relate or empathize with the excitement of winter limited-edition items and treats. However, I would be remiss to ignore their importance completely. If I think winter is dull now, for centuries it has been many people’s time to hunker down and hold out for spring.

People were limited in their ability to do things, and in agrarian society, it’s not exactly like they could be “productive.” No wonder they came up with special treats and traditions to make with the extra time they had not being in the fields.

I wonder if contemporary society has lost the plot with an incessant push for “productivity” that our bodies haven’t evolved for. Though, saying that, I think of places like Svalbard and Yakutia; while I whine, they live under the polar night of darkness for months or are in such extreme cold that vehicles cease functioning and glasses or earrings stick to skin like tongues on flagpoles à la a Christmas Story. You’d think they’d hate the cold but their relationship runs deeper to the cold than I’ll ever understand. It’s interesting that there’s a deeper cultural respect for the cold than the heat. I wonder if it has to do more with the reflectivity that winter brings. The intimacy and rituals that come with being cozy.

Anyways, I’d love suggestions to embrace the season better!