Sign up to save your podcasts
Or
Share Seasonal Notes, Episode 6 — Leaning Into Winter
Share to email
Share to Facebook
Share to X
Share to email
Share to Facebook
Share to X
Or
Seasonal Notes, Episode 6 — Leaning Into Winter
Seasonal Notes
Episode 6 — Leaning Into Winter
Season One: Winter
Welcome back to Seasonal Notes, and to our first episode of 2026.
After a quiet pause over the Christmas season, this episode marks a gentle return — a moment to settle back into winter and meet it where we are.
In this episode, I’m reflecting on what it means to lean into winter instead of resisting it.On the darkness, the cold, the long January days — and how accepting this season, rather than wishing it away, can sometimes make it feel lighter and more manageable.
We talk about:
why winter can feel especially hard once the festivities are over
the difference between acceptance and giving up
what nature teaches us about rest and dormancy
how small, everyday choices can help us feel more grounded at this time of year
and why winter might not be the season for pushing, fixing, or starting over
This is a slow, reflective episode — something to listen to while walking, resting, or pottering at home. No pressure. No instructions. Just a quiet invitation to soften into the season you’re in.
🌿 About Seasonal Notes
Seasonal Notes is a gentle, weekly podcast about seasonal living, slow and intentional rhythms, and finding meaning in the everyday. Each episode offers a calm, companionable space to pause and reflect as the seasons unfold.
✨ Continue the conversation
If you’d like to explore these themes further, you can find me at:
Blog: https://ourlittlehouseinthecountry.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ourlittlehouseinthecountry
You can also subscribe to the newsletter over on the blog for seasonal reflections, gentle prompts, and slow living inspiration.
Thank you so much for being here — and for listening.
📖Winter Reading & Seasonal Inspiration
If you’re drawn to the quieter, slower rhythms of the colder months, these are some of the books I return to again and again during winter. They explore themes of seasonal living, rest, reflection, hygge, and finding joy in simpler days. I’ll leave the links below if you’d like to explore any of them further.
Some of the links below are affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thank you for supporting my work.
📚 Winter & Seasonal Reading
The Christmas Chronicles – Nigel Slater
The Almanac: A Seasonal Guide to 2026 – Lia Leendertz
The Joy of Wintering – Erin Niimi Longhurst
How to Winter – Kari Leibowitz
Calm Christmas and a Happy New Year – Beth Kempton
My Hygge Home – Meik Wiking
The Art of Danish Living – Meik Wiking
The Little Book of Hygge – Meik Wiking
The Little Book of Lykke – Meik Wiking
Wintering – Katherine May
The Self‑Care Year – Alison Davies
The Happiness Year – Tara Ward
The Wheel of the Year – Fiona Cook & Jessica Roux
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit ciarawinters.substack.com
View all episodes
By A slow seasonal podcast from Our Little House in the CountrySeasonal Notes
Episode 6 — Leaning Into Winter
Season One: Winter
Welcome back to Seasonal Notes, and to our first episode of 2026.
After a quiet pause over the Christmas season, this episode marks a gentle return — a moment to settle back into winter and meet it where we are.
In this episode, I’m reflecting on what it means to lean into winter instead of resisting it.On the darkness, the cold, the long January days — and how accepting this season, rather than wishing it away, can sometimes make it feel lighter and more manageable.
We talk about:
why winter can feel especially hard once the festivities are over
the difference between acceptance and giving up
what nature teaches us about rest and dormancy
how small, everyday choices can help us feel more grounded at this time of year
and why winter might not be the season for pushing, fixing, or starting over
This is a slow, reflective episode — something to listen to while walking, resting, or pottering at home. No pressure. No instructions. Just a quiet invitation to soften into the season you’re in.
🌿 About Seasonal Notes
Seasonal Notes is a gentle, weekly podcast about seasonal living, slow and intentional rhythms, and finding meaning in the everyday. Each episode offers a calm, companionable space to pause and reflect as the seasons unfold.
✨ Continue the conversation
If you’d like to explore these themes further, you can find me at:
Blog: https://ourlittlehouseinthecountry.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ourlittlehouseinthecountry
You can also subscribe to the newsletter over on the blog for seasonal reflections, gentle prompts, and slow living inspiration.
Thank you so much for being here — and for listening.
📖Winter Reading & Seasonal Inspiration
If you’re drawn to the quieter, slower rhythms of the colder months, these are some of the books I return to again and again during winter. They explore themes of seasonal living, rest, reflection, hygge, and finding joy in simpler days. I’ll leave the links below if you’d like to explore any of them further.
Some of the links below are affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thank you for supporting my work.
📚 Winter & Seasonal Reading
The Christmas Chronicles – Nigel Slater
The Almanac: A Seasonal Guide to 2026 – Lia Leendertz
The Joy of Wintering – Erin Niimi Longhurst
How to Winter – Kari Leibowitz
Calm Christmas and a Happy New Year – Beth Kempton
My Hygge Home – Meik Wiking
The Art of Danish Living – Meik Wiking
The Little Book of Hygge – Meik Wiking
The Little Book of Lykke – Meik Wiking
Wintering – Katherine May
The Self‑Care Year – Alison Davies
The Happiness Year – Tara Ward
The Wheel of the Year – Fiona Cook & Jessica Roux
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit ciarawinters.substack.com