Winter is Coming

It may still be autumn, but my favourite season is heralding its appearance through a cold snap in the air. Breath is occasionally visible again on the clean, crisp morning air and cosy will once again be possible. Summer may be sunny and warm for a few days out of the year, but only in the frosty months can you snuggle up in three layers of clothing and a blanket with a mug of your choice hot beverage.

Winter haters will point out the cold as a negative; they’ll complain about the miserable weather like it doesn’t rain in any other season. Personally, I don’t see rain as bad weather anyway but that’s beside the point. Not at any other time will you be so grateful to get home, like sinking into a hot bath you can step over the threshold into the warm bubble of central heating and feel all contented and yes, cosy. This is the season of thick, woolly jumpers and patterned or fluffy scarves, depending on your preference. My mother loves to wrap herself up in furry clothes: fluffy gloves, boots that are fluffy on the inside, fluffy jumpers and fluffy scarves. She’s even got out the Christmas jumpers, and happily jingles around the house with all the bells attached to them.

This is the season of layering, the only time I ever feel close to being fashionable, colour coordinating jumpers over long sleeved shirts or long sleeved shirts over short sleeved shirts. At the beginning of everyday when I’ve managed to put an outfit together, I feel like I’ve already accomplished something. In summer or spring, I fuss over vest tops and uncomfortably warm jeans until I give up and self-consciously trudge downstairs wishing I had more clothes on.

In Cardiff, I can highly recommend the annual Christmas market that merrily springs up around the city centre. There are homemade wares in little wooden stalls covered in twinkling lights with Christmas tunes crooning in the background as you shop; you can find some unique and quirky gifts there. If the chill gets to you, there’s a stall with mulled wine so you can take shelter and warm up from the inside out. Arguably, the centre of the Christmas market is the German bratwurst grill, providing the tastiest bratwurst hot dogs I’ve ever tasted.

Even the little town where I live lights up in the build-up to Christmas; it’s so much more pleasant to shop or simply wander around when the sky above you is glimmering with so many different colours and impressive displays. In fact, there’s very little about winter that I don’t like. Some of the bigger spiders might migrate indoors looking to share our central heating, but overall there’s fewer bugs flying in your face as you innocently walk around minding your own business. The dangly crane flies that mark autumn down for me are finally dying off, and the season of no creepy crawlies, sweaty weather and a break from hayfever is about to begin. Winter truly is the season to be jolly, cosy and content.