As a Pennsylvanian, I feel dutybound to tell you that my neighbor, Punxsutawney Phil, saw his shadow and declared that we would be having six more weeks of winter. He went back into his little groundhog hole, and a couple of days later, we had the most bizarre winter storm I’ve ever seen.

 

Flash flooding, followed by freezing rain and finally, it was all topped off with a few inches of snow. 

 

 

I know plenty of my friends and neighbors grumbled when Phil made his proclamation out at Gobbler’s Knob, but I silently cheered. I love the peace and slower pace of winter. The chore list is shorter this time of year.

 

And with long, cold nights still very much on the calendar, my evenings are filled with reading, knitting and listening to McCoy Tyner while sipping tea. 

 

Plus, as a knitter of 35 years, it means I get to spend more time wearing all the sweaters, hats, mittens, socks and shawls I’ve knit. 

 

 

I got talking with a friend of mine the other day, who was complaining about how far off spring was. She had put away all of her Christmas decorations, decorated her house for Valentine’s Day and spring, and was now frustrated because the weather didn’t match her décor.

 

I had to laugh. I have been guilty of doing the same. Haven’t we all? There’s something about this time of year that makes everyone antsy.

The stores certainly don’t help. You walk into any store, bundled up to your eyeballs in winter gear, and suddenly you’re surrounded by everything spring. Spring décor, spring bulbs, spring gardening supplies. How about a new bathing suit? Do you need some shorts? 

 

 

A few years ago, I decided to keep a few decorations out after the holidays, just for winter. I chose items covered in snowflakes or that weren’t Christmas-themed but had a winter feel to them. Now I do this every January. It’s funny, these simple items make the winter feel more welcome and less a thing to be waited out. 

 

 

Give it a try, my friend. You don’t need to go out and buy anything new. But hold off on putting out your spring decorations until it’s actually spring. And as we move into February, I would encourage you to spend the next month or so living with the calendar instead of a couple of months ahead.