Winter in the city

Some people complain about winter. It is true that it’s dark and cold and I’ve known at least one January when the sun didn’t shine once. Winter isn’t easy. It’s even harder if you have little children to manage or if you are frail. But this frigid season has pleasures that folks in less frosty climes are denied. Enjoying winter in the city is a matter of balancing coziness with invigoration and finding the little pleasures that no one thinks about.

I’d put peeking in people’s windows right up at the top of the list.

You can’t do this in the summer when the sun just doesn’t want to go down. You’d have to stay up too late.

But now on your way home from work, school or a walk in the park you can stroll by your neighbors’ homes. They’ve not had time to pull their shades or curtains. You can see adults cooking dinner and children doing homework around a kitchen table. When you can’t see people, you can enjoy their paintings or their light fixtures or their bookshelves.

Enjoy another seasonal advantage—the quiet when it snows. It’s not completely quiet since the snowplow grinds down the street and the snow shovels scrape the sidewalk when your neighbors shovel their walk—and yours too if you have nice neighbors. But the snow absorbs sound like it does soot from the chimneys.

And your chimney, if you’re lucky enough to have a fireplace, is another pleasure of the season. If you’re inside, even those fake logs from the supermarket cast a nice glow. Outside, the wood smoke is a distinctive smell of winter, just like rotting seaweed and fish characterizes that delicious olfactory stew swept inland on a summer sea breeze.

If you tend a garden, or pots of plants on the fire escape or a window box, you’ve got a respite. You might as well enjoy a good book inside without guilt that you’re not out watering.

My friends said their favorite winter enjoyments were hot drinks—spiced cider, chocolate, teas, and buttered rums—that are unappetizing in the summer. They also liked sleeping late in the dark under cozy covers.

Other friends said they got sick of the salads of summer and now were enjoying the comfort food of winter—slow, simmering stews and sweet baked goods.

People in the north country say there is no bad weather. There are just bad clothes. Those who have warm coats, leggings, boots and mittens will enjoy skating, skiing or sledding or even walking on a crisp winter day with the sun glinting off the ice. That’s one of the keys to enjoying winter, say the hardy ones—getting out in the weather.

This week ends with fire and ice—fire works and ice sculptures, a combination only possible in winter. We’ll have New Year’s resolutions and new calendars, and soon there will be multiple long weekends we all can enjoy.

Then there is the beauty that only winter can bring. I saw it once early in the morning on a February day. There had been an ice storm the night before, and the paths were slippery. I was walking through the Public Garden to meet a Bay Village friend in front of what was then the Ritz-Carlton for our morning walk. At this early hour, only a few people were about.

Every branch of every tree was encased in a thin glaze of ice. Suddenly the sun rose high enough to hit the top of the trees. Just this slight bit of heat shattered the ice. A blizzard of tiny sparkling  crystal shards tinkled as they fell to the ground. The people in the Public Garden stopped transfixed. It was probably the most beautiful experience any of us had ever seen.

But we can’t always have a shower of diamonds for our pleasure. One friend said it is important to focus on the December solstice. The darkest day of the year, which took place just a week ago, means hope—every day from now on will be a bit longer. That’s one of the best pleasures of winter.