Warming to winter

I’ve spent most of my life dreading winter. Born and raised on the Gold Coast, I’m the person who reaches for a jumper any time the temperature drops below 23C. My first Sydney winter, 19 years ago, served as a frosty wake-up call that I was underdressed and under prepared for the seemingly endless dark, cold months in my new city. 

Whenever I phoned my grandmother during those early days, her first concern was always that I didn’t have enough warm clothes and our conversation was always followed by a care package of socks, scarves and the annual gift of flannelette pyjamas. 

Over the years, I accumulated all the winter essentials: oil heaters, coats, boots and pocket warmers. Despite my best efforts, I would brace myself at the end of every May for what lay ahead. 

I can’t pinpoint the exact moment when my relationship with winter changed. But a couple of years ago, I caught myself at the end of a long, hot summer, yearning for the rustle of autumn leaves to give me some reprieve from the frenetic festival of the warmer months.

The shorter days felt like a permission slip to linger indoors and make a second cup of tea on Sunday mornings. I bought a slow cooker, lit candles and embraced hygge, the Danish concept of enjoying the simple pleasure and privilege of a cosy, warm home. 

I started appreciating the magic of Paddington on frosty afternoons; the woody smoke from fireplaces scenting the air, the silhouettes of peaked roofs and chimney pipes against the unmistakable hue of a winter-pink sky.

Winter changes our relationship with the outside world from a constant ‘going out’, to a slow and welcome ‘drawing in’. For me it’s become a season of slowing down, an opportunity to reflect and burrow into projects that require a little more focus and deeper creativity.

I’ve heard winter described a fertile void — though the tree branches are bare and nature seems stripped back to her bones, under the surface the earth is secretly at its most productive, recovering the soil and nurturing new seeds for spring.

We can all benefit from a recovery season this year. A chance to catch our breath, take some extra care and remember how good it feels to nestle indoors, not because we have to, but because we want to.