Winter Perks

As we move away from autumn and look to colder winter months, I thought I’d share a few of my favourites that help to brighten up those frosty dark days. A lot of people tend to see winter as gloomy and cheerless, especially since darkness dawns on us just after four and waking up causes a chill to fall down your spine as you attempt to drag yourself out from the warmth of your duvet. However, despite the sudden drop in temperature and shorter days, I believe that there a few perks which can make this time of year worthwhile.

A Love for Layers

This may be controversial, but for me winter is surprisingly one of my favourite times of year for fashion, which mostly stems from the necessity of layering pieces together for warmth. However, it is from this need that a lot of creativity emerges, as you begin to play around with layering patterns and textures. One of my favourite layered looks for winter is pairing a corduroy skirt with tights, chunky boots, a buttoned down shirt, jumper and long coat. This outfit screams winter to me, especially the look of a corduroy skirt, which introduces a playful texture and gives dimension to the look. You also must not forget about layering accessories, for instance, by introducing a scarf or even earmuffs, it is these small touches that elevate a basic fit and make you look more put together. The other thing to remember about layering is that it doesn’t always have to equate to boxy and unflattering; by building up an array of small layers it can make a fit more interesting as well as keep you cosy.

Winter Walks

There is something so romantic to me about going on a stroll around your neighbourhood or even your local park. It’s the way that the sun glistens through the white coated snowy trees, how the grass softly crunches as you walk through it and how as you exhale you begin to see the mist of your breath in front of you; all of which makes the experience seem more magical at this time of year. As the weather changes winter begins to peek out, slowly revealing itself to us by hiding our surroundings behind layers of white glistening snow that acts as a blanket, a second layer, tucking the outside world into hibernation. Witnessing this transformation has caused walking, an activity that usually seems more like a task, to become one of my favourite pastimes, which makes the cold worth it, so grab your wellies and explore your own winter wonderland.

Ice Ice Baby

This is another fun activity that can be done all year around at an indoor rink, but somehow only seems right during winter. No matter your ability anyone can enjoy ice skating, even if you just take part shuffling along the outside. However, once you are feeling more confident to move away from the barriers, whizzing along the ice can give you an immediate rush of adrenaline, plus it can be funny seeing your friends or partner deck it on the ice.

Gilmore Girls

Now, many of you may see Gilmore Girls purely as a television series that is purely autumnal but I think it is the perfect show to transition you from autumn to winter. For those of you that haven’t watched it before, the plot largely centres around a mother and daughter who live in a small picture-perfect town where everyone knows everyone. In transitioning to winter months, I believe Gilmore Girls is ideal, as the show often presents this time of the year with snow being a constant theme in the series. The mother often predicts that she can “smell snow” as well as romanticising other aspects of this time of year, such as wintery town events, like a winter wonderland or market. The show resides on Netflix so if you have never seen it, now is the perfect time to start, so sit back and relax.

Hot Chocolate

This may seem like a basic beverage that is a given for many people during winter; however, I am not talking about just any hot chocolate. My favourite winter drink includes whipped cream and a light dusting of chocolate on top that many others would frown at any other time of year, but in winter this is considered socially acceptable for some reason. Also, if you haven’t tried heating up your hot chocolate in a pan what are you actually doing.