Winter brings along with it the holiday mood and festive cheer. The charm of Christmas fun and New Year celebrations keeps us excited in spite of the biting cold. Though it offers a mixed bag of hardship and merriment, this is my favourite season. We get engrossed in the charm and commitments of the fresh year and cheerfully ignore the winter chill.
Waking up early during winters is quite a daunting task. Sleeping till late and then snuggling in the blanket with a hot steaming cup of tea is the most desired thing in winters. Morning alarms become the most annoying as we yearn for an extra hour of sleep. Getting out of the cosy blanket is the most challenging task. The next struggle is taking a bath. The blissful balmy afternoon sunshine is never so awaited and welcomed as in winters. Braced with quilts, woollens and heaters, we win against the weather. These warmers enable us to embrace the season. As the sun sets early, the dusky environment and waning days suggest us to wind up, keep aside all the work for the next day, relax and warm up with some chai and gossip with family.
We embrace the chilly harsh weather in winters, in fact we take advantage of it. Festivals, the vacation mood, lawn brunches and farmhouse parties with befitting winter foods such as hot gulab jamun and jalebis, and the evening bonfires, all enliven our mood. With better appetite and digestion in winters, we can enjoy eating rich heavy delicacies that enhance our immunity. The season calls to rest and stay comfy at home. Winter gives us the charm of dressing up with scarves, fancy capes, coats and our favourite jackets. It adds variety to our dressing, food and mood as well.
This time of the year is a transition phase and heralds the arrival of spring soon and thus promises a new beginning of the best weather ahead. This transformation of winter to spring shows us that after every tough period comes happiness that brightens our life with comfort and joy. Winter teaches us to deal with hardships cheerily and rather enjoy it. The weather woes teach us resilience in the face of adversities and to find ways to endure the difficulties in life and to enjoy the opportunities it offers.
In winter, we get multitudinous eating options. Different parts of India have their own speciality dishes and so we have various options to enjoy such as Makki ki roti, Sarson da Saag, Bajra ki roti, Gaajar Halwa, Gond Laddu and Ghevar that are rich in flavour and healthy too. It is the perfect season for relishing dry fruits. In spite of nippy nights, chilly wind, plummeting temperature and fog across the city, it gives us the best family time. Everyone tries to be back home early and evenings are generally spent lazily. Snugly wrapped in our shawls, we gossip, have our favourite concoctions with hot snacks and watch movies together.
It often makes me reminisce on nostalgic school memories of how tough it was to get up early in the morning to get ready for school. Winter brings joy in the form of vacations. For children, it is all about holidays with cousins, partying and then praying for the extension of winter break for unhindered fun.
The weather has its own charm.
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