A winter highlight…
It’s the last week of January and we’re on the cusp of light returning in more and more noticeable ways, but winter is still here and it will be cold outside for a while longer. To me, this means there’s so much more time for coziness!
Coziness has to be one of the premier highlights of the winter season. It’s that feeling of being warm, safe, relaxed, and in an interior quiet or playful mood. And it’s enhanced by the contrast of the winter season. If you’re toasty warm inside looking out at the falling snow or blowing rain you feel that much cozier for being able to watch the harsh wet and cold elements from your safe and lovely place inside.
Coziness as fuel…
Remembering that contrast is a key to coziness can help amplify your winter season experience. I find it all the more enjoyable to settle into a cozy afternoon if I’ve already gone outside and expended some effort or felt the chill of cold on my skin. Cozy evenings are nicer if I’ve taken a walk earlier that day. Mornings are cold on their own and all it takes is a big sweater and cup of coffee to feel cozy. I use my desire for coziness to fuel my activities during the winter. There’s always a waiting reward for me in a hot shower, hot beverage, hot meal, warm blankets, socks, and sweaters to bring me pleasure after hard work, and they’re always better after hard work and cold winter air.
Getting warm…
Whether amplifying coziness with the contrast of cold and physical labor or not, getting warm is the main ingredient of coziness. In my post on heat there are multiple suggestions for bringing heat into one’s winter experience. I find heating my body up with hot showers or baths, sauna, or movement then insulating that heat in with wool socks and big sweaters keeps me in a prolonged state of cozy bliss. So if you want to feel cozy, get warm!
Setting the mood…
Coziness is also an aesthetic. Setting up a scene for coziness usually include warm tones like wood, soft textures and cushiony objects, and heat sources like fireplaces or candles. Aromas can also bring in a cozy aura. Spiced foods roasting in the over or simmering on the stove are almost instantly stimulating in the most relaxing kind of way. And don’t forget about sounds. An ASMR quality of kitchen sounds, gentle talking, crackling fires, or rain drumming on the windows starts to add to the experience of coziness. Cozy soundscapes that offer winter ambience can also bring in more coziness even in places and at times of the year where there’s no winter to be seen.
Cozy activities…
Now that the mood is set and the body is warm and the winter atmosphere is just right for maximum coziness, how should you spend your cozy time? First, just breathe. Just feel the happiness of being cozy. It’s so good. These are the moments that I love to be alive. Now think about how you feel. Sometimes coziness is sleepy or restful. Sometimes it’s a peaceful or quiet solitude. Sometimes it’s a togetherness of being cozy with others. Sometimes it’s playful and spirited. For each of these cozy feelings there are seemingly infinitely good ways to spend your time.
Ideas for a restful or sleepy coziness:
- Watch the sky, day or night, rain or snow, clear or cloudy through the window. Just gaze and be at ease.
- Take a nap.
- Listen to an audiobook.
- Do gentle stretches, yin yoga, or NSDR (non-sleep deep rest).
- Light a candle and watch the flame.
Ideas for a cozy peaceful or quiet solitude:
- Read a book.
- Write something.
- Meditate, contemplate, or explore your inner thoughts and feelings.
- Create something: crafts, music, art, food.
- Do a puzzle.
- Dream a little dream. Plan your next adventure or your next endeavor.
- Watch old movies from before 1965.
- Clean and organize. Notice your surroundings and make them even cozier. Do those agenda-free puttering around activities like cleaning dead leaves off of plants or right the angles on shelved or hanging things. Just wander and tinker and touch up and experience the sensuality of your surroundings.
Ideas for playful and spirited coziness or being cozy together:
- Check out the ideas for peaceful or quiet solitude above and bring others into it!
- Play board games.
- Play video games.
- Read poetry to each other.
- Have a tea party.
- Look up DIY engineering experiments and do them together.
- Clear your floor space and practice rolls and falls onto pillows and blankets (a foundation for parkour or martial arts and general injury prevention).
- Practice yoga.
- Do some internet research on something you’re interested in or want to do.
- Make AI generated videos and images.
- Devise surprises and pranks for your friends or workmates (use some discernment).
- Write jokes or limericks.
- Make a lavish dessert.
- Build a pillow and blanket fort and tell ghost stories in it.
Coziness shortcut…
My favorite shortcut path to coziness is through a hot beverage. Hot drinks bring both warmth and aroma, putting me in a cozy mood with every sip. Even the ritual of preparing hot beverages contains its own meditative coziness. Hot bowls of soup can also quickly cozy up a lunch or a dinner with steaming savory smells and warm satisfying flavors. Check out my hot drink and soup recipes.
Cozy Beverages:
Winter Soups:
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