It’s an awkward time of year. Christmas decor has been packed away, ornaments sorted, lights rolled and stored. I have a few red berry accents still out. It seems winter-like without speaking too loudly of a holiday theme. But as soon as Christmas and New Years is past, my heart is ready for warmth. As far as I’m concerned, we could skip the majority of the winter season and move straight to spring.

I love snow and cold weather around the holidays. It goes with all the trimmings, the coats and sweaters and hearty stews. But my interest in snow disappears with the Christmas tree, and that brings me to the annual dilemma…how to make it to the March/April time frame when you can legitimately begin to bring out the spring accents, the lighter colors, the decor that says Easter is around the corner and the days are getting longer? It seems a long time to wait, all the way through January and February, through cold dark mornings and short days. By the time I leave my office at 5:30, it feels like 8:00 in the evening. There is daylight here during the day. Ketchikan is only a few hundred miles north of Seattle, so the extreme dark and light cycles don’t occur here as they do in the far north of Alaska. But the days are short enough, even here.

So I wait, “wishing my life away” as my grandmother would say. And I’m really not doing that. There are pleasures in the winter. A hot cup of tea in the evening, a fire, the short days a frequent reason (ok…excuse) to talk myself out of a trip to the gym after work, without feeling too guilty about it…it seems a little more acceptable to hibernate, to have cozy weekend time. I curl up with a catalog already offering spring clothing and another one with spring home furnishings, and I’m ready for it: the return to light, to warmth, to the next season.

This week we’ve had some snow accumulation and there is ice on the sidewalks after a bit of a melt and freeze cycle. I had to wear my snow boots to work instead of my usual choice of heels. (I may love shoes but I’m not stupid!) But we’re gaining light every day. It’s just a matter of time. My teapot is singing, my spirit is lifting.