This time of year is an absolute favourite. After the hustle and bustle of holiday concerts and family gatherings are over, after the meals have been cooked with care and presented, the gifts lovingly wrapped and shared, now we are able to go inward and be still. It is that magical in-between time, sitting around the fire enjoying hot chocolate, dipping beeswax candles, or finally getting around to the large pile of mending. These sleepy, slow days are the sweetest, when we can soak in the year that was and prepare for the year to come.
It has been odd to not have snow this December. Our daily walks have been wet and misty, damp and cool. How can we enkindle warmth and bring that sense of winter wonderment into our homes and lives? The smells of the season linger long in memory, and one of our favourite daily routines is to prepare a simmer pot.
A simmer pot is simple, warm and nourishing for the senses. Gather the left over cranberries, cinnamon and orange, add cloves, rosemary or pine needles, submerge under filtered water and bring to boil. The aroma fills the home with wintery smells that nourish the soul.
Small children love to join in gathering the ingredients for the simmer pot. It’s an excellent activity for little hands who naturally enjoy making “potions” in outdoor mud kitchens. The air in the home smells fresher and sweeter, the warmth of winter mingles with the smell of beeswax candles, and we can savour these last sweet days of holiday hibernation together.
Blessings on the New Year, from all of us at Warmth and Weather.
