Greetings, y’all. This time of year is always rough when you work retail; doubly so when you don’t have any fun holiday traditions to look forward to.
If you, too, find this gray, chilly season a hard one to weather, take heart: I return with a solid list of small pleasures that make the cold worth savoring. The little things that just hit harder and feel better in December.
(A large portion of this week’s B-List comes courtesy of crowdsourcing via Facebook, so a huge thank you to all of my friends and followers who contributed.)
1. Extra cuddly pets
Some folks luck out and have pets who love to snuggle year round, regardless. But for a lot of us, this is the boon season for furry cuddles. As the temps plummet, pets become insatiable for lap time, and it sure is nice, after a really hard day, to come home, sit down and immediately have all five of my cats draping themselves over my legs.
2. Warm cups of coffee/cocoa/tea
Truly, there are few things better than savoring a warm beverage on a chilly morning/evening. Especially if it’s in a proper mug that warms your hands as you sip it.
Be sure to top your drink with the appropriate luxurious extra – whipped cream, marshmallows, chocolate shavings, a shot of Bailey’s or dollop of honey – for that extra dose of decadence.
3. Nesting in a pile of blankets
I really love to indulge my inner tiny-mouse-in-a-sleeping-cap by wrapping myself in at least three plush blankets and quilts whenever I’m home. I would happily spend the entirety of winter hibernating in a multi-layered burrito of fleece.
4. Putting on comfy clothes straight out of the dryer
It’s plush socks/baggy hoodie/sweater season, baby! And nothing’s better than pulling those on when they’re still toasty and fresh – except, maybe, putting them on after a really hot bath and getting straight into just-washed bedsheets for the ULTIMATE COZE.
5. Sitting by a fireplace/radiator with a good book
You’ve got your comfy clothes on, a blanket (and purring kitten) on your lap, a mug of cocoa within easy reach.
Now to just enjoy the crackling of a fire or the steady warmth of a heater while reading something really satisfying; perhaps an old favorite, or you could do as the Victorians did every Yuletide and indulge in a chilling story full of spooks a la Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol.”
6. Admiring frost ferns on windows
Sure, it can be annoying to have to scrape the stuff off your car every morning. But it’s good for the soul to occasionally stop and admire the delicate beauty of frost, and individual snowflakes, and the sparkling icicles hanging off the eaves (just be careful to not lose an eye to one).
7. “Lord of the Rings” marathons
I know I’m not the only one who associates the LOTR trilogy with the holiday season – the movies were released every December, after all.
But if you need to convince some dubious friends that they’re perfect winter-time watches, just tell them they’re stories about elves with gifts, an old man with a white beard who seems to know everything and everyone and the healing power of friendship.
8. Soup
Henceforth, according to my friend Marjory, this is “Soupcember!” Whatever your favorite soup is – I’m partial to potato leek, myself – now’s the time to get those pots bubbling.
A hearty bowl of chowder or bisque or stew, paired with a grilled cheese, is a perfect cap to a winter’s day. (I consider chili to be a first cousin to soup, so that’s absolutely included here, too.)
9. Taking an evening walk in the snow/just after a snowfall
We may not have had any real snow just yet, but no doubt there’s plenty still on the way. And while it can be awful to be stuck out in a blizzard or on a badly-plowed road, those times when it’s a light and fluffy shower, when everything’s muffled and the snow squeaks or crackles under your feet – that can be positively magical.
10. Kotatsus
Okay, so these aren’t common in America, being very much a Japanese mainstay. But I’ve longed to own a kotatsu – a low table covered in a futon duvet with a heating element under it to keep your feet and legs toasty – for years. As an all-in-one piece of furniture, the kotatsu is the perfect winter centerpiece for any room 11. Baking and decorating cookies
One of the best things about the holiday season is the plethora of baked goods that get passed around. And I’ve got an especial soft spot for sugar cookies and gingerbread men, the two biggest stars of the seasonal circuit.
Even better if you’ve got small kids on hand that you can help decorate them with; I spent several years supervising gingerbread house construction at the Washington Public Library, and that was always a fun, if sticky, afternoon.
12. Sledding/making snowmen and then coming inside to get dry and warm
There really is something super satisfying about getting worn out in the cold, then coming inside for a bracing bath and some warm snacks. It taps directly into the inner child, for sure.
13. The glitter of all of the lights/window displays
I may be more than a little Grinchy, but even I can admit that there are a lot of beautiful/funny displays out there in front yards and in the picture windows of businesses. And when everything’s blanketed in snow, the gleam of the multi-colored lights reflecting off the white sure is dazzling.
14. Seeing all of the animal tracks in the snow
As a kid, I loved seeing all of the various animal footprints that crossed our backyard every night, picking out the raccoons and opossums and even the occasional deer.
But by far my fave footprints are the teeny scratches left by bird talons, and how you can tell they hop-hop-hopped after the seeds and suet. So cute!
15. “The Muppet Christmas Carol”
The greatest adaptation of Dickens’ best-known work just turned 30, and Disney+ has even restored the “lost” song “When Love is Gone.” For many Millennials, it just ain’t Christmas until this has been watched.
I confess that I didn’t grow up with this classic – my Muppet film will always be “Muppet Treasure Island”; I didn’t see “Carol” until I was in my 20′s – but I still deeply appreciate how Michael Caine played Scrooge as serious as a heart attack opposite his puppety co-stars. And Waldorf and Statler’s number as the Marleys remains a total bop.
• Angie Barry is a contributing columnist for Shaw Media. To suggest future topics for The B-List, which covers topics in pop culture, history and literature, contact her at newsroom@mywebtimes.com.