Winter blues

With the holidays and a certain birthday behind us, we have been dropped in the middle of a cold and dark (albeit currently mild here in the NW) January. Is there no end in sight!? Just kidding. When all else fails, lean towards the dramatic. But hey, it is the middle of winter. The Christmas decorations have been (or will be soon, ahem) taken down, the food fest is over, and now we're charged with making those inspired New Years resolutions stick. Ick.

I was recently browsing through the comments left on Wise Craft's Winter Mode post, where a bunch of friendly folks shared thoughts on how they cheer themselves and their homes up during the January-February marathon stretch, and figured they bear some elaboration and repeating. This is good stuff. So if you, like me, are feeling abandoned by the holidays and are feeling a little idle with no-end-in-sight-before-spring, this is for you:

Create light: Brighten up the house with candles, leave up a string of twinkly white lights, pull back the curtains and let the sun pour in

Cook or bake something delicious and nutritious: Make a pot of stew or chili, put a pot roast in the crock pot, bake some bread or corn bread, and make a sweet treat

Take your drinks hot: Tea, hot chocolate, apple cider...

Get out there and be active: If you can't change it, embrace it and occupy it fully. Run, walk, sled, ski, snow shoe, swim if you're in Arizona or the Nordic regions.

Freshen up the house: Crack windows, purge the clutter, put some fresh flowers in a vase or plants in colorful pots

Pamper: Take hot baths, moisturize, paint your finger nails, snuggle up with a good book, sleep more, carve out time to be creative

Write: Journal, mail your thank you letters, or send good old fashioned and friendly letters to the unsuspecting. My brother-in-law is very good at this. When we're least expecting it he will wrap up a seasonally apropos CD mix with a beautiful and witty card and send it our way.

Plan a getaway! Enough said. Let your imagination go wild. (I want to go here next)

How do you beat the winter blues?