Winter joy list

I wrote recently about my autumn joy list, the first time I've made a seasonal, intentional list of things to do over the next three months, purely for pleasure. Now it's December and officially winter in my mind, I've been taking some time to think about the activities I want to do for joy between now and the end of February.

Ice and eat my Christmas cake

I wrote in my autumn joy list post, about baking my Christmas cake. This is a vegan cake I make purely for myself, since my husband Andrew doesn't eat fruit cake. I like to eat it with cheese and whisky, ideally in bed with a book. Since I've signed up to Footnotes & Tangents War & Peace readalong in 2024, I'll have plenty of opportunities to eat cake in bed.

Visit Dean Gallery

I'm embarrassed to say I've lived literally round the corner from a modern art gallery for 8 years and have never been inside. I've walked the dogs around the gardens (excellent autumnation trees and multiple mistletoe plants) and admired the statues and the famous neon signage but never stepped foot inside. Well, now is the time.

Take Badger on a solo date

This was in my autumn joy list and unfortunately got bumped due to other time commitments. Badger is simultaneously unbothered, because he considers himself a person, and outraged that His Personage could be forgotten.

Finish my Hobbit robe

I’ve not written about this project yet on the blog, though I’ve mentioned it on Instagram. Inspired by Ivy, of The Sewlo Artist, I’ve been working on sewing myself a Hobbit robe (otherwise known as a dressing gown). Ivy’s version popped up on my Pinterest and I quickly clicked through to this YouTube video (scroll forward to around 8mins 24 seconds to see the robe in question). It’s inspired by a robe worn by Bilbo in the first of the Hobbit movies and it’s everything a Hobbit robe should be. It’s warm, cosy, made from patchwork fabric in an array of Hobbit-appropriate colours, with just enough luxury in the velvet shawl collar to be opulent rather than tatty or home-made. The Hobbits’ focus on snug, comfortable, seasonal living has always inspired me and they’re definitely the fictitious people with whom I most empathise. I’m using my wool scraps and remnants to create a quilt top, incorporating some special fabrics along the way, like my Grandad’s sweaters. My plan is to take it through to Glasgow to Dastardly Line, to get it quilted onto a brushed cotton back. I’ll use the final quilted fabric to cut out a dressing gown, most likely using the Wiksten Unfolding jacket in the longest length I can make with the resultant fabric. I’m hoping to source some burgundy velvet for the collar, for the full Bilbo experience, and do bound Hong Kong finishes with vintage kimono silk for the inside seams. It’s been a year-long project so far, and I’m hoping putting it on my winter joy list will encourage me to get it finished.

Go out for dinner with Andrew

I organised my work Christmas party this year and the restaurant gifted me a £20 voucher for my trouble. I have until the end of February to spend it, which is handy because that’s the time frame for my winter joy list. Andrew and I are not very good at making time for things like going out for dinner, we tend to prioritise saving money. It’ll be nice to have the opportunity to treat ourselves in the cold winter months!

That Hobbit robe project is pretty epic, so I might leave the winter joy list there. I’d like to go on a trail run again, I enjoyed that from my autumn joy list, and I have a free cinema ticket to use, but I don’t want to overload myself and end up feeling like the joy list is another thing to get done. The whole point is to focus on seasonal, pleasurable activities and that’s enough to be getting on with!