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Cold Belonged to Christmas

December 26th, 2011

In the flicker of the candlelight one could see a neat little frosty cloud in front of every mouth. From under the choir loft, where the confessional stood, one could hear the shuffling of hobnailed boots and also, eventually, the rubbing of hands and the feeble attempts to keep warm when it was below zero outside with yard-long icicles growing from the church roof.

But cold belonged to Christmas as heat to the haying days. This was as it should be and no one gave it a thought.

Maria Augusta Trapp The Story of the Trapp Family Singers


The cold weather has finally arrived. Here in Ohio, winters can be severe or mild. Some years we have really cold winters with lots of snow, other years it’s just dreary and rainy; this year as been the latter. I’m certainly glad the cold weather is here as I love bundling up to head out for walks. For me, one of my favorite things during cold weather is pulling on those knee high wool socks. Lucky for me, I got a few new pairs of SmartWools for Christmas, just in time for the cold weather. All my other wool socks have developed holes and were getting a little threadbare.

For some reason I feel like the cold weather is cleansing, not just for the garden but for me as well. I’m happy it’s finally cold!

What’s your favorite piece of warm weather wear for those cold weather days: scarf, socks, hat, gloves…?

14 Comments to “Cold Belonged to Christmas”
  1. Maybelline on December 26, 2011 at 4:56 am

    Huh?

    Reply to Maybelline's comment

  2. Jennifer Fisk on December 26, 2011 at 7:30 am

    My favorite is my LLBean fleece lined pants. When it gets into the teens or below they are so cozy.
    You are right. Things do seem cleaner when it is cold.
    It appears Maine is one of the few places that had a white Christmas and to top it off a gentle snowfall started in the afternoon and went all night. It almost seemed protective.

    Reply to Jennifer Fisk's comment

  3. Barbara on December 26, 2011 at 8:53 am

    I love that quote! I had to borrow a piece of it for my farm page on Facebook. :)

    My favorite – essential! – piece of winterwear is a double layer of wool socks, followed closely by my fingerless gloves (for inside) or barn gloves (for outside).

    Reply to Barbara's comment

  4. daisy on December 26, 2011 at 9:10 am

    Wow! I didn’t know someone could like the cold so much!

    It rarely gets below 40 here, so I don’t know if that counts.
    I love my warm woolen gloves for when I go out walking.

    Reply to daisy's comment

    • Jennifer Fisk on December 26, 2011 at 4:03 pm

      Cold is a good thing. It makes you appreciate the heat of the wood stove when you come back in.
      Gloves at 40 degrees?? Guess all things are relative. It is 29 here now and I won’t be wearing gloves.

      Reply to Jennifer Fisk's comment

  5. KimH on December 26, 2011 at 11:09 am

    Haha.. I love your socks! They are adorable!! :)

    My favorite cold weather gear is either my wool socks or my house shoes.. I love my big ol fluffy house shoes & if I could wear them everywhere I would.. haha..

    Reply to KimH's comment

  6. Melora Johnson on December 26, 2011 at 6:10 pm

    I would say cold is cleansing. An open winter certainly means more bugs and disease for the plants to contend with in the summer.

    Reply to Melora Johnson's comment

  7. Liz J on December 26, 2011 at 7:47 pm

    I am not crazy about cold weather, but I do love those socks! I also have to agree with Melora, and hope that it gets colder here soon to keep the bugs at bay ~ we don’t even have any snow!

    Reply to Liz J's comment

  8. Beegirl on December 26, 2011 at 9:39 pm

    Fingerless gloves and SmartWools here too! Gotta love SmartWools. Have to admit I wear wool socks year round. Thinner wools in the summer do wonders in my clogs at work!

    Reply to Beegirl's comment

    • Susy on December 27, 2011 at 9:29 am

      Yep, we wear wool all year long too, especially in the sock category – though usually short thinner socks.

      Reply to Susy's comment

  9. Kathi Cook on December 26, 2011 at 9:43 pm

    Puffy down jacket!

    Reply to Kathi Cook's comment

  10. goatpod2 on December 27, 2011 at 12:51 am

    My LLBean coat, hat, gloves and scarf.

    Amy

    Reply to goatpod2's comment

  11. Corrie on December 27, 2011 at 8:58 am

    Have you noticed a change in the quality of SmartWool socks? I have noticed the last few pairs I got did not hold their shape as well as previous ones. A friend commented that they weren’t the same since another company bought SmartWool.

    I wear wool socks year round as well. In my work boots every day, they are the best thing I’ve found!

    Reply to Corrie's comment

    • Susy on December 27, 2011 at 9:30 am

      I have noticed that they don’t last as long, they started adding more nylon and I notice the toes/heels wear out much quick than before. They get holes in them but are still wearable b/c of the nylon. I’ve been looking for a great alternative, Mr Chiots like Filson wool socks a lot, might purchase some of those. I looked on Etsy too, might try some handmade ones.

      Reply to Susy's comment

About

This is a daily journal of my efforts to cultivate a more simple life, through local eating, gardening and so many other things. We used to live in a small suburban neighborhood Ohio but moved to 153 acres in Liberty, Maine in 2012.

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