Are traditions a way to beat the Winter Blues?
It isn’t just the frosty wind that made moan in the bleak midwinter! We do too! We may not have snow falling on top of more snow these days, however this middle stage of winter is grim. Cold, wet, and dark, the shine of Christmas gone, no wonder it is hard to find the sparkle.
Everyone you meet grumbles about the weather, and thanks to the weather most people have retreated inside, so those you meet are few and far between. The echo chamber of grumbles is made larger because of it. As you know, grumbling is contagious, so before you know it winter is very blue. In the feeling sad sort of way. Not the other ‘blue’ way.
Anyway.
The place I personally come across other human beings during this bleak midwinter phase is the school yard. It’s like speed dating for friendships. Conversations are short, there is only a finite amount of time between arriving at the yard and your child being released to you. Starved of normal levels of socialising, you find yourself cramming in as much as you can within that short amount of time.
It was during one of these speedy conversations that everything I thought about winter changed. The general air of grumbling began from one parent, standard winer chat followed, then, suddenly, out of no where came this golden ray of positivity from another. “Oh this is my favourite time of year!” They said. “What?” We all responded, mouths wide open. This was unfathomable information.
They went on to explain why (which I’ll go into detail about below), and since then I have met many who all love this bleak midwinter season. Although each have different reasons, they all come down to the same common theme…traditions. My eyes have been opened, and I’m hoping to open yours too.
Why do traditions help in Midwinter?
After speaking with these people who have midwinter traditions, I believe it’s because traditions in themselves create a sense of comfort, connection, and reinforce your values. If you’re someone who values freedom, I’ve noticed that’s a tradition you lean towards. If you’re someone who values fun, then their tradition leans towards that. They also appear to have one other key core importance…making memories. Ultimately that’s what it comes down to, making memories with those you love.
Tradition Inspiration
Every one of us is creative in different ways, therefore I thought I’d share these traditions to inspire you. Why not use your own creative talents, whether that’s organising, cooking, puzzles, drawing, music, or route planning to create your own midwinter tradition.
One. Counting down the Sunset
I must begin these winter traditions with the conversation that sparked it all off. Counting down the sunset is the cutest, cheapest, and most magical of all the traditions I’ve come across. When it gets to January my friend becomes excited because soon she’ll be able to count down the sunset with her son. She eagerly watches the days beginning to get longer.
Until she mentioned it I must say, the longer days was something that passed me by during January. It is so gradual, yet it is there, it does happen. Her eyes widen every afternoon as the sun shines its last ray a little longer, and then the time arrives. From the second week of February her and her child sit in a car park. This car park happens to be at the top of a hill which gives you a clear view to the sun setting on the horizon.
They park up at the same time and count down how long it takes for the sun to set. Obviously it takes longer every time they go. They do this many times throughout the month until it gets to March. Thus the new season is greeted warmly.
Two. Ice Cream for Breakfast
Sounds delicious doesn’t it? Unless you’re pulling a face at the sound of it, but hear me out if you are! On the first Saturday in February many people (myself included) sit down to celebrate National Ice Cream for Breakfast Day. You scoop out your ice cream and instead of sprinkles, it’s coco pops or other preferred cereal choices. Don’t knock it until you try it. It has become a favourite in our house, for obvious reasons. My favourite part is about two weeks before, when everyone is tired from the return to school/work and feeling a little bedraggled. Suddenly one of us will remember it’s coming up and it seems to give us the boost of happy energy we need to see us through.
Three. Joyfest
If you have not had the pleasure of meeting the mum and daughter team Karen and Sparkly Margaret from Jars of Joy you need to. Not only do they run their brilliant business that encourages people to spread joy, they also run an annual festival called Joyfest every January in Blackpool (https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61563473786956).
What has my mouth opening in wonderment is that everything at the festival is free! Everything. From the entry to food, it is all free. They don’t want anything to be a blockage to people experiencing joy. Personally, I think creating a festival like this is a beautiful way to spread joy to a whole community during winter. This tradition isn’t about thinking about yourself, and only doing what makes you feel good, this is about helping others. I wonder what community focused traditions you could create.
Four. Life Watch Scavenger Hunt
This one warmed my inner cockles when I first heard about it. I am an avid believer that scavenger hunts are not just for children, they are for everyone of every age. We often retreat indoors in winter, so I think a scavenger hunt is a fun, simple way to get outside. Especially if you need purpose in your walks when the weather is less than ideal.
The aim of a Life Watch Scavenger Hunt is to spot signs of new life. You start in January and continue throughout February. Can you find new buds on trees? Can you spot the snowdrops poking out of the frozen ground? What about insects crawling around again? Or early lambs in the fields? Once you start looking it is incredible how much you see.
I’ve tried it myself, and it really does bring joy into the season. By slowing down a little and taking in the world around me, I felt more connected, more in tune to what was going on. It grounded me, and for that reason alone I would highly recommend doing something like this during winter.
Final thoughts on Winter
I hope you have found inspiration in these traditions. Before you go off and begin creating some for yourself I’d love to leave on one small thought. Transformation changes us. I’d just like to repeat that, transformation changes us. Whether that’s from joy to sadness, love to loss, we are not the same people within those changes. The same is then true of us and the seasons. We cannot expect to be the same fully carefree, adventure seeking, up until late person we are in the summer. Being kind to ourselves, and listening to what we need to survive is important during winter.
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