Cold Winter Mornings

There's a song by Guillemots which has the lyric "I think of you on cold winter mornings, darling they remind me of when we were at school". I think of this song on cold winter mornings because they remind me of when I was at school and imagining a future where I could live inside this lyric.

I love autumn. I love cooler weather. I know SAD is normally associated with the drawing-in of the evenings and the departure of the sunshine, but for me the Summertime Sadness is REAL. The autumnal weather we have had over the last few days has been a delight.

Here are some of my favourite things about autumn and winter:

• Being snuggly in bed with a chilly nose
• Wearing coats
• Christmas sandwiches in the shops
• Christmas music
• Christmas in general
• Bonfire night parties
• Pumpkin carving
• Stamppot season
• Knitwear
• Knitting new knitwear
• Football
• Strictly Come Dancing
• Not being constantly sweaty
• Fairy lights, everywhere
• Blankets
• Cosier dark evenings
• Spiced candles
• Cardigans
• A cool bedroom at night
• Less holiday FOMO
• Less wedding spam (friend and family weddings = wonderful, lovely; seeing everyone else's friend and family weddings on social media = yawn)
• Being able to wear jeans, just at all
• More likely to spot an urban fox on the way home
• A chill in the air in September feels like school, in a beautiful, nostalgic, sad, happy way

I know it's a serious privilege to be able to enjoy Christmas because I am very aware it can be a difficult time for some people, for all sorts of reasons. I also know how lucky I am to be able to look back at my school days with a smile. School-aged me would probably have had a different version of the story, but that's what nostalgia is all about.

As the nights get longer and the days get cooler, I will be remembering how grateful I am that seasons always change and happier times can come back again. And that M&S have an incredible Christmas sandwich collection.

(With all due compassion and respect to sun-loving people who are finding this week hard and rubbish) I must note the joyous fact that it’s dark-ish at 8pm, and there’s a chill in the air, and fairy lights in the trees, and I can physically feel a weight lifting from my soul. pic.twitter.com/FJifnb8PwJ

— Jodie (@jodiekate) September 4, 2019