Autumn slipped away into a moment of time, as the crisp air turned even colder. The season I dread most of all is finally here. Its presence is felt through my cold hands and redder nose. The bitterness demands me to pull out my warmest sweaters, shouting that it’s time to bundle up and go with the flow… I say more like “go with the snow.”
If autumn represented melancholy and acceptance, then winter sure symbolizes a period of bleakness, sadness and quiet reflection. Cozying under a blanket calls for the season of looking inwards and getting in touch with what can be described as a worn out self from a year filled with joyous and equally challenging moments. Tears were because of both laughter and heaerache. A year-well lived, one would call it.
On a much brighter side, Christmas lights light up the street – and my spirit.
How ironic that the season I dread the most is capable of such beauty.
What awaits every early winter season is the most wonderful time of the year. The magic the holidays bring is unmatched and the essence of Christmas never fails to cleanse my soul.
So what does it mean to get into the Christmas spirit? The bells start within my heart when I decorate my tree. Duty calls to go visit all the Christmas trees in the city!
I began and will continue to watch as many Hallmark movies as possible (no matter how cliché I say they are). I invite the company of nostalgia by watching childhood Christmas movies that remind me that traditions are like pinky promises, something vowed to never break. I am looking forward to checking off my Christmas bucket list with family and friends as my list of festive activities to do is longer than my own gift wish list. This means going skating, which even though I skate with my two left feet, I will still be a team player and attempt to get through the night without falling.
I want to be wrapped in red for as long as I can be, spending holidays being my festive, overly hyper self. Even if it snows, at least let there be snow on the beach.
Soon enough, it’ll be one more sleep til Christmas Day. And then, following that is another special occasion: New Years Eve, a time where preceding a clean slate is to remember everything leading up to the ball drop. I sing the song that tells me to remember times gone by, mentally housing my memories away in the museum of my mind. Just like a museum, I can only look but cannot touch.
Overall, I would like to think that experiencing winter after the holidays is both dreadful but also rejuvenating because it teaches me to provide myself with warmth, just like the sun does on a hot summer day.
And we all know what comes after winter, right? The hope and renewal that we dream of during our own hibernation.
The bench awaits me when the flowers bloom, but for now, I’ll be enjoying a winter to remember.