The Soft Side of Winter (Or, Sherlock Holmes and a Cup of Tea)

It’s no secret that Vermont can be a harsh place to live during the winter months, and this winter is no exception. While we have not seen massive amounts of snow to date here in the hills of east-central Vermont (“only” 25 inches so far), the temperatures have been bone-chilling. Of course, it’s always cold here in the Green Mountain State in January. Thaw? What thaw? The earth is buried under a blanket of snow for months. But for the past three weeks, multiple days have topped out in the single digits, and a good chunk of nights have dipped well below zero degrees. And when the wind whips, on top of all that? It is best to be remain indoors.

Given all of this, it is natural to wonder what can possibly be meant by a “soft side.” A soft side to ten below zero? But, in fact, there is one.

With such inhospitable conditions outside, and with evening still descending early (though it is slowly starting to get lighter)–this is a season for reflection. For stillness. For unwinding. The frenetic warmer months are looked forward to, of course. Who wants it to be ten below zero for long? But during this dark, cold season, there is the opportunity for long nights in front of a fire, hot chocolate on the desk beside me, getting lost in story and wonder.

And on these cold, cold nights, after finishing the day’s work, the call of an old movie beckons. Or an old television show. Or a good book. Below-zero nights are made for The Honeymooners or It’s a Wonderful Life, or The Wizard of Oz.

Or maybe an old Hitchcock thriller, something slow and unrushed, like Rear Window. Or perhaps Forrest Gump or a long, epic-length documentary. It doesn’t so much matter what–just that it happens, that there is a chance to escape the blistering pace of the workaday world, at least for a while. Sherlock Holmes and a cup of tea, enjoying the warmth inside, the quiet of a winter night enveloping the house like a soft, thick glove.

And maybe that’s the reminder we all need as we begin another year, a year with challenges and struggles and deadlines and political upheaval and setbacks and frustrations and joys and triumphs. There is always so much to do.

But sometimes, even in the midst of it all, we just need to be.