12/20/2025
I always felt like winter was something that HAPPENED to me, not something I DID.
This year, I have come to recognize and believe that “wintering” is something that every living thing deserves. A season of resting. Slowing down. Preserving energy, moving slowly in response to the lack of light.
Every living thing deserves moments to fully relax their body in a warm cocoon of care.
I have also come to understand that wintering is a privilege, though it should be a right.
Many women are caring for their children and their parents, and have no time to take care of themselves. Many hold full-time jobs and come home to a second full-time job of homemaking, caretaking, and magic-making.
If you have the privilege to develop a wintering practice, I believe it is imperative that you do so.
Trees shed their leaves. Fields rest. Animals slow their pace or retreat entirely. Even the earth itself exhales and waits.
Winter is not a failure of growth, but a necessary part of it.
Wintering is choosing restoration.
I believe that every living thing deserves a period of conservation of energy, where silence replaces noise, and where healing happens quietly beneath the surface. Roots grow deeper in winter. Strength gathers unseen. What appears still is simply silently preparing to grow anew.
When we allow ourselves to winter, we give permission to breathe. To rest. To let what is be enough. Allowing our bodies and minds to be well and usher us into a new year of growth.
Some ways in which I’ve allowed myself to “winter” this season:
* Midday cups of tea by the Christmas tree
* Letting go of all the potential holiday magic I could create
* Attending silent book club and allowing myself to nap rather than read
* Putting off making holiday cards until next year
* Prepping my children for fewer presents under the tree
* Going to bed as early as possible
What is one way you can allow yourself simple moments of wintering this season?
Wishing you a safe and snuggly winter.
Katie, The Plant Lady
