Let’s get cozy!
Hasn’t it been COLD? This fog blanket we’ve been under is not the cozy kind of blanket I would have chosen for the first half of December. It’s due to the tule fog that envelopes our area. “Tule fog” may look like “yule log”, but it is not a delightful holiday treat. It is a damp, creeping, shiver-inducing fog, and I find myself shopping online for sweaters every few hours.
I grew up in Wisconsin, where the dramatic change in seasons is very grounding. It’s easy to live with the cycles of nature when the cycles of nature are so blatantly obvious. Winter: snow, ice, air so cold the nostril hairs freeze while you run for the bus. Spring: the earth thaws, sap flows, green appears, parkas are put away. Summer: humidity, blue skies, thunderstorms, and mosquitos. Autumn: an explosion of color. And then the disappearance of color. All to wrap up again in a blanket of snow.
This year, here in Sonoma county, it definitely feels like we’ve entered a new season. While some believe winter doesn’t start until the solstice, others feel the solstice and equinox dates are actually the mid-points of the seasons. So by December 21st, we’ll be halfway through winter, and that much closer to spring!
Spring is my favorite season. The energy of rebirth is palpable. We’ve had a nice rest, and we’re ready to move again. But until then, we are in wintertime, and it feels like it!
I’ve been using three herbs regularly these days, and I realized they’re all great for wrapping up in an energetic cocoon. Ginger, passionflower, and kava are helpful allies for deep rest, and it is time for that!
I know, I know. We’re also smack in the middle of the very busy holiday season. So many parties and gatherings and markets to attend. While these activities are wonderful, and can fill our cups with cheer, they can also also feel a little disconnected with the idea of going inward. This is the time of slippers and blankies and tea. Of hibernation and reflection and rest. But we also have The Holidays. Families visit, friends gather. There are Eves to mark and Days in which we Make Merry.
We want to spend time celebrating, even while we may also want to stay on the couch, in our cozy clothes. So in order to feel a little less stagnant, a little more vibrant, a little less like a human popsicle at the thought of venturing out through this wintry mist, I turn to ginger tea.
Making fresh ginger tea is easy. The hardest part is making sure it doesn’t boil over, putting the flame out, which happens to me every time. Slice a fat thumb of ginger and plop it into 4-6 cups water. With the lid on to trap all those the volatile oils, bring the water to a boil, turn the heat down to low, and simmer 10-20 minutes. Turn the heat off, strain into a cup, and enjoy!
You can get fancy and add other herbs like crushed cinnamon stick, star anise, and fennel seeds, but it is equally enjoyable just as is. Alternatively, I’ll add the slices to a quart of room temperature water and let that steep overnight. It’s more gentle than decocting, but both ways will warm you up from the inside out. When we’re cold, it’s hard to want to socialize. When I’m shivering and my hands and feet are frozen, I’m distracted beyond being able to look out into the world and connect. Ginger to the rescue.
Zingiber officinale helps with ailments from arthritis to menstrual cramps to stomach bugs. Generally considered safe, ginger can ease nausea and is used during pregnancy. As always, do your research before you add any new herb or supplement to your daily routine.
I don’t only drink tea. I love coffee too. Espressos, to be exact. (Jordy just turned on the espresso machine as I typed this.)
I like an espresso neat. I like it in a perfectly foamed cappuccino. I like it in the peppermint mochas I’ve been making at home. I appreciate the lift that it gives me, but I do not like the sleep that it robs me of if I choose to drink it in the afternoon.
In waltzes passionflower, and I feel like I have a superpower. I used to take a very small dose of passionflower tincture as I got into bed. It felt like a little blankie was pulled over my brain after about three minutes. That didn’t allow me to get very far in the books I’d try to read in bed, but sweet slumber came drifting in, and that is always welcome.
Getting great sleep does feel like a superpower. I know when it eludes us, it can be frustrating. If that persists, it can be torturous, and damaging to our health. Finding ways to court good, restorative sleep is definitely worth the effort. In general, I feel very lucky to “be a good sleeper.” But if I choose to have a cappuccino after 12:00 pm, the fear of waking at 2:00 am causes anxiety. So after I ran out of my Passiflora incarnata tincture, I started brewing up pots of passionflower tea. And it helps just as much as the tincture did. So now, possibly unfortunately, I feel armed with the antidote to my occasional afternoon cappuccino.
Passionflower is a sedative, anodyne, anti-spasmodic, and hypnotic herb. In other words, it’s relaxing, relieves pain and tension, and helps us with sleep. Dive in here to read all about this gorgeous plant.
There are herbs that warm us, herbs that relax us, and herbs that create a feeling of euphoria. And I don’t know about you, but if I feel euphoric, I’m also relaxed and comfortable in my body. Kava kava, or Piper methysticum, is my go-to for this. I love that this sacred plant from the Pacific Islands is traditionally used ceremonially to open the heart, encourage that euphoric state, and allow for enhanced communication between humans, and for communion with the spirit world.
Kava kava, does have some cautions to be aware of. It is not recommended for children or during pregnancy and nursing, and it has contraindications for folks with liver issues. This article addresses kava’s reputation, its cautions, and its truths.
Kava is a sedative and skeletal muscle relaxant. It’s good for dealing with pain, stress, and trauma. I turn to this herb when I feel like I need to re-enter my body. When I’ve been running too fast and for too long, when I feel slightly beside myself, I like to make this drink from The Kosmic Kitchen Cookbook, and enjoy it with Jordy, on the couch, with our little pets cuddling up on our laps. I will often substitute the coffee in this recipe with the ginger tea, as made above. What could be more relaxing than that?!
As we roll into the time of year when we recall Christmases past, I always think of my siblings and all the Christmases we shared on 8th Ave and Crestview Drive. I have a distinct memory of a Christmas morning when we woke up earlier than our parents wanted us to so we gathered in our brother’s bedroom (this was unique and exciting! To be allowed into his bedroom!!) and we played a board game until the sun rose, and Mom and Dad were up. I can see Mom standing over the floor heater, her nightgown and robe gently filling with warm air. And Dad with his thick, diner-style white ceramic mug of black coffee in hand while we opened stockings and presents from Santa. Delightful. Thanks, fam, for the enduring wonder of Christmas.
This adorable Santa was painted by my lovely mother in 1997! She visited a friend this week and saw him hanging on the wall, remembering that she had gifted him almost three decades ago.
May the rest of your winter be merry and bright, cozy and warm, full of laughter and light. I’ll see you in the New Year. Thanks for riding this journey with me. I appreciate you.
