Just wondering how everyone copes with low energy levels this time of year, if affected? Cooking, Christmas baking or candy making, (if you celebrate) Hanukkah, shopping, decorating, parties and potlucks - the show must go on day after day. What works to get you up and running this time of year?
My energy tanks, just when I need it the most! Even the animals are lethargic. Vitamin D helps me, getting outside, distractions, lots of lights on in the house. Old fashioned rock n roll, turned up loud. An early start on shopping of all kinds.
I usually just give in to the lethargy, and try and make the most of bright, sunny winter days, despite the cold.
I don’t “do” the holidays anymore (my family pretty much stopped buying gifts for each other about 10-15 years ago) so any shopping is more for work gifts - same with baking. So everything has become much lower key for me. None of the crazy rushing about.
Dinners used to be at my Mom’s with me doing cooking, but that ended last year with her in assisted living when we ate both holiday meals with her. This year… But I still plan on making a Christmas dinner for myself this year.
I hope the winter goes well for you this year Linda, as I know you have hard, cold winters up there, and also with the grief process for your mom.
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Harters
(John Hartley - a culinary patriot eating & cooking in Northwest England)
4
Very little - but the thought that in a few weeks time, we’ll be off to Tenerife for three weeks. Daytime temperatures in the mid-20s have a lot of appeal
Lol, just realized you were talking Celsius. Sounds wonderful & yes, the perfect tonic for winter. If I don’t take winter trips, TBH, would sleep through it and skip Christmas altogether, if I could…seems to get worse every year, too.
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Harters
(John Hartley - a culinary patriot eating & cooking in Northwest England)
6
As I say to Mrs H every year - I’d really like to spend Christmas in Tenerife. It would be so different from the traditional “turkey & tinsel” British Christmas. But there are family constraints. Maybe one day.
And, yes, Celsius - I forget that most people here don’t use it.
Winter was invented in order for us to preserve our energy, hibernate, so we can re-energize just in time for the spring… even your animals understand that.
Winter is for kicking back, cozying up under a throw, getting out the quilts, sweaters, boots, lighting a fire, gaining weight, eating soup, drinking cup after cup of hot cider, tea, soup, hot chocolate, hot toddies, staying home more and sleeping in. Even the foods we cook are richer in order to make us more tired, so we will stay home and kick back. Don’t fight it, enjoy it!
I go skiing every Sat. Getting outside keeps my energy up.
Occasionally I bake cookies for the skiers on the Saturday day trip (54 people on a charter bus).
I take part in a big Italian ski club potluck at Tremblant most Februaries. They’re Friulian, so skiing is part of their culture
I’m running my main ski club’s first cookie exchange next Thu.
Yes, I suffer from Winter malaise. If it was up to me there wouldn’t be a tree or any of the rest… DH is a big fan of all things Christmas, watches show after show on the Hallmark channels & plays Christmas Carols and/or sings (really more like howls) along. I make an effort to go along, used to bake a lot, but no more… I still try to make some kind of goodies to share with friends, but really just want to snuggle on the couch & watch Netflix or Amazon Prime films
When I swim and take a sauna (every week) my body relaxes. I garden a little indoors. I listen to music all the time. Food wise, I try to keep to clean, simpler meals after a big holiday fest.
Officially, we are still autumn, winter is in a week’s time.
Yesterday, I saw on TV that in Sweden they had only 4 hours of daylight these days. I think I will be depressive there, I can understand why they need so much alcohol. This season, it rains so much in Paris, I think there are around 5 days of sun so far this autumn. Personally, this year I tried to get involved in some cooking project, like pasta making and baking. Also winter is a good time for catching up some reading or binge some Netflix and films.
In January, I will start seedings especially for beans. I always start gardening a bit too late in spring, so try to do more preparation and cleaning work in winter in garden. Hopefully, it won’t snow this year. (Not that I hate snow, but we have some “tropical” plants that means that some plants will suffer or need to move indoors, a lot of work!.)
I’ve got even prescriptions from docs on Vit D! It helps a bit!
The best way to boost, is to be around high energy people…
Harters
(John Hartley - a culinary patriot eating & cooking in Northwest England)
17
Me too. But there’s been so much rain recently, it’s just too wet to do anything. I’ve chopped down the perennial plants but the whole garden needs weeding and a good tidy up. Hopefully, I’ll be able to get out there over the next couple of weeks.
Mine is worse, all the dead leaves piling up and also with the non-stop rain, moss are growing crazily on the path. A week ago, my silly neighbour used bleach to clean up his yard, all the fume of bleach got into my garage and inside of the house.
But I still plan on making a Christmas dinner for myself this year.
It helps a bit! 
