Is there a season I love more than the holidays? Sure, spring and fall are quite nice, but there isn’t the same feeling that comes with the holidays. It’s that cozy feeling I love, with the hot chocolate, the warm holiday movies (like Love Actually
The initial start of the holidays, for me, begins with the holiday cups from nearby coffee shops. I know these have been out since early November, along with the holiday flavor, but if I’m feeling a little need for a holiday pick-me-up, I just have to stop down the street for something pepperminty and chocolately in a red cup and walk around DC, where buildings have wreaths ups, trees in the lobbies, and downtown has lit snowflakes up on the lampposts.
It’s been a little odd this year because of the warmth (and I use that word loosely, knowing that about ten years ago I would never have thought of the 50s and low 60s as warm). Sure, we had some snow flurries in October, but since then…the weather hasn’t done much to usher in winter. And some sunny weekend afternoons, a warm beverage in a holiday cup doesn’t quite feel right.
Still. I’ve done the best I can. I made hot wine the other night, some vin chaud, once the wind kicked in and there was a definite chill in the air on my walk home. And there was another cool night recently that warranted the above mentioned movie and hot chocolate. And of course: the writing.
NaNoWriMo was a nice break from one project, and a great way to get started on another, but now I’m back to the pre-November project. And winter is just such a great writing season. I’ve spent some afternoons out at a cafe with my peppermint coffee, or at home writing in the low heat with a cup of coffee in hand. Speaking of…I have a chapter I need to finish up.
