46 Comments

Several years ago, we decided to have our own family holiday in late January. We call it "Tannily Winty" - a silly name that stands for "Tanner Family Winter Party". We do a gift exchange, often of homemade gifts, and we plan fun activities to do together the whole day. It's a wonderful thing to look forward to.

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This is such a cute idea!!

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I'm in mid-MO, by the way, so our winters can vary a lot. We often have at least one month of bitter cold. We get a few small snowfalls every season, but rarely get more than a couple of inches.

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I love this!!!

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Thank you Kristen, what a super email to read today! Joining you for my first “wintering” season and already feel like this is a warm and safe place to be. Winters are discouragingly wet and grey here in Wales (UK) so I’m looking forward to seeking out the sparks of light this year. 🩷

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So glad you're here!

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Part of my joyful expectation this winter are these Wintering pieces. Thank you for this! Im wintering in Kokomo, IN.

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An honor. :)

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I love that you do this series every year. I always look forward to it...which is saying something about a time of year I usually do NOT look forward to 😂

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You're in good company.😂

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I’m wintering from North Carolina. Winter time has been rough for me since my divorce from my first marriage. It was a scary time and I am scared of those feelings to repeat. Thankfully my husband now is so supportive. I am excited to start this wintering season for this first time.

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That sounds so hard. I hope this is a healing season for you.

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I'm wintering in KCMO, and I think I've been slowly incorporating a wintering mindset for the past few years on my own, but I'm excited to be a part of an online community doing the wintering thing! I'm currently working out a candle budget to make my lighting as cozy as possible in my home.

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looove that. Candles make everything feel so cozy

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If you like low-stakes fantasy, you should read the Monk and Robot books by Becky Chambers ... low-stakes sci-fi at its finest.

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K. But like, all I heard is that I get to be as pretentious as I wanna be, and I'm here for it. 🤣

Ftr, I'm in NC and it's freaking cold. We're having nights in the teens. I know, Northerners and Midwesterners. I know. But we're not used to this so early. A dusting of snow is expected tonight. And...my menopausal thermostat has apparently flipped to cold, with a prerequisite morning hot flash.

If anyone's concerned, I really am ok. Just kinda over it.

My lovely expectation is that our one and only adult son is choosing to work remotely from our home for the entire week of Christmas. The entire week with our son!!!

❤️❤️❤️

Grateful to be wintering with you again. ❤️

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Aw yay! Glad your son is coming home for so long!

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I’m currently sick so I’m not able to go to the thrift store. But I dug out my favorite thick cozy blanket (that my grandma gifted me a few Christmases ago) from the pits of my laundry basket (because I live in FL so I haven’t prioritized washing it until now 😅) and washed it specifically as part of my expectation practice. I do have a mug that I was recently gifted that I don’t use often because of how large it is, so I’m looking forward to settling down with my cozy blanket and extra large mug with double the serving of tea this season 😉

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Sounds perfect.

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Wintering in Wisconsin and feeling like this little series is going to give me so much joy this year <3

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I hope so!!

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Looking forward to wintering this year in Oaxaca, Mexico. No, it’s not all cold and dark here, but I do tend to get the January blues and wintering is my hopeful expectation practice. I don’t need more mugs, but I’m tempted to go get one anyway…

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I mean, I'm always in support of unnecessary mugs... lol

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This is my second wintering season, and I’m so ready to be even more intentional. Wintering from Indianapolis, IN.

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I think this is my third year being part of wintering, and I’ve loved it every year. I live in southern Kentucky, so it’s not the hardest place to winter! But, because we have milder temps, the winter looks pretty drab and brown since we rarely get snow. I still enjoy this time of year, though! It’s like a little permission slip from nature to be cozy with oversized sweaters, soft socks, and enjoying your time inside. We just installed a wood burning stove in the spring, and I’m so excited to use it this winter! Hellooooo reading by the fire!

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ohhh you're gonna love the stove!

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Moving from MN to TN 5 years ago I have decided that I really do miss the snow. I don't miss the frigid cold temps or driving in the snow, but I do miss the ground being covered in white. As much as it got tiring to see snow for months and months, it's the same feeling just seeing the brown for months and months too. And, I've also realized the snow was such a great way to cover up extension cords for Christmas lights and all the weeds I never got to pulling.😁😂 I'm hoping we get at least a little snow this winter-not like the snowmageddon we had last February though! That was crazy how everything shut down!

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Haha! I love the snow covering extension cords hack. 😂 And, yes! It would be nice to get some small spurts of snow through the winter, and not one giant snow that freaks everyone out. 🤪

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I'm upgrading to paid for this wintering series!! I haven't in the past and regretted it. ;) I look forward to these every week, so I'm excited to get even MORE! :)

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Woo hoo!!

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Me too!!!

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Thank you, I am wintering in North Carolina, certainly not the hardest place to winter. Today, blue skies, sunny and cold for us, starting at 27. I am stopping by the thrift store today. I like the idea of a wintering mug. I am stopping by the library today to look for that book! Question books are my favorite genre, so to have easier ones right now…I like that. Earl Gray hot chocolate sounds amazing. Will need to try it!..small changes. And yes, I am looking forward to Dec 21, the winter solstice, and then….the days begin to get longer again! I got my first seed catalogue in the mail yesterday. Spent a happy hour thinking garden.

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let us know what you think of the hot chocolate if you try it!

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I made Earl Gray hot chocolate today with my thrift store mug! I love it! You get that taste of bergamot, and the chocolate! So good!

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Wintering in Little Rock, AR. We don’t usually get the piles of snow I grew up with in Wisconsin, but the dark by 5pm and freezing mornings has been extra irritating to me this year! I have been anticipating this series look forward to implementing the self serotonin boosts! We love a good mug around! :)

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I truly loathe when it's freezing out and there's no snow and everything just looks grey and gross. like -- what's the point of it being cold if there's not gonna be snow, right? So glad you're here! Hope it makes the freezing mornings a little warmer. :)

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Ugh, yeah! Growing up in WI I always thought it was normal to feel just blah for 6 months! I never knew about SAD or any other mental health measures that could have helped. Thank you for your ministry! My wife and are so grateful for you and consider you a friend we haven’t met in person. Your book truly helped us through a very dark year in our pursuit of international missions work. So glad to be along on the wintering season! Already feel cozier!

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The book you chose looks like great cozy fun, and the Earl Grey hot chocolate is enticing!

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