Recently I wrote similar words to these for some friends, but I feel the sentiment ought to echo.
Today is the first day of Winter. Officially it (the Winter solstice) happened at 5:30 am Dec. 22, 2011. For the record I hadn’t been asleep for very long. Forgive me; I’m a bartender. Winter is beautiful for the very reasons that we hate it. Just as hard work beats against the body it also forges friendships and makes one appreciate its rewards. So too does adverse weather. Cold, wind, and snow breed a kinship in humans. We feel ourselves in the person walking in the door and stomping the snow off of his or her boots, shaking the coat collar, and taking off hat and gloves.
This time of year the wind whips a little harder, the night comes a little sooner, simple chores like running to the store or even going outside to check the mail become more difficult and require a bit of prep. It is because of this that in the winter we are inclined to share a little more than usual. Meals are bigger and heartier. We linger around the dinner table with our family and friends much longer than in the warmer months. We sit closer to one another around the fireplace or around a more modern hearth, the TV or, I hope, a restaurant table. Groups that bring light-hearted joy in the summer, now also provide comfort. When the going is easy we think about how much we enjoy the company of others; in the winter months we remember how much we need it.
And, just as many normally simple tasks require extra preparation in the winter, so does the way we entertain. This is the time of year we get the slow cooker out of the cabinet. We prep early to enjoy things more easily later when the sun has gone down. Snacks are made all afternoon so the host can mingle with guests and not be cooped up in the kitchen. Maybe you’ll have a time this season when everyone stays an extra night; the snow coming down too hard for travel. In such a case I say put another log on the fire, get out the scrabble board, play some old records, get out the bottles, and put in a civilized evening. As they say in French: “Bon hiver!” (Happy Winter!)

“For those sound of body and serene of mind there is no such thing as bad weather; every day has its beauty, and storms which whip the blood do but make it pulse more vigorously.” –George Gissing.