The weather’s taken a little dip hasn’t it? I mean, don’t get me wrong, the drowned rat look really suits me, but sometimes it’s nice to mix things up a bit. It’s hard to believe, but we’re just 10 days away from Christmas, so I’m preparing for the imminent cold snap with an extra dose of hygge. So let’s batten down the hatches and look at some reasons to celebrate the colder weather…

Let it snow

Hardly original, but who doesn’t get a little pang of excitement on the first morning of fresh snow? It reminds me of waking up on a school day and listening to the local radio for the school closures. Is there anything more hysteria inducing as a kid than being told you don’t have to go to school and you can play in the snow instead? Nope, absolutely not. OK, I hate it on day three when it’s all black ice and slush, but that first day is beyond magical. I’ve been lucky enough to experience snow in Scandinavia before, but I’m hoping my trip into the Arctic Circle over New Year will top it all…

Come inside

As much as I love walking in a winter wonderland, I love coming inside just as much. When your extremities start to turn blue, it’s probably time to go and warm up for a little while. Unfortunately I’m not lucky enough to have my own open fire (one day!), so I like to curl up around a portable heater to get the feeling back faster. It’s ideal, because I can drag it to my favourite nesting spots around the house and warm up in comfort.

Winter warmers

I have a confession: I really bloody love mulled drinks. As soon as I spot the slow cookers out in the local pubs, that’s my fate cemented throughout September. Mulled cider is my favourite (that recipe says that dark rum is optional – it’s definitely not), but I’ll never turn down mulled wine. Mulled white wine is especially exciting – I promise it does exist and I promise it’s not as awful as it sounds! If you know of any other mulled drinks and where I can find them, stick them in the comments below and I’ll be sure to give them a go.

Festive frivolities

If there’s anything I love, it’s parties. If there’s anything else I love, it’s glitter. No matter how cold it gets, I’ll always venture out into the freezing temperatures to have a little blini and a bop. I think it’s perfectly acceptable to turn up to a winter party in Ugg boots and 19 layers and I won’t hear anything to the contrary. And the bonus is that by the time you’ve walked there, whichever bottle you’ve brought along will be nicely chilled… and quickly abandoned when you discover a vat of something delicious mulling away. Yes I have a one-track mind, and yes I’m fine with that.

Evenings in

Equally, it’s just as easy to live the hermit life in winter. If you can’t be bothered to leave your nest, people will be much more understanding than on a beautiful summer’s evening, so make the most of it. It’s pitch black by the time I get home from work, so once I’m in, I’m seriously in. It’s totally acceptable to binge watch everything on Netflix (my recommendations are Parks & Recreation, RuPaul’s Drag Race and Lillyhammer) and barricade yourself into a corner for an entire evening. If your home just doesn’t have that hygge factor yet, check out my post on making your home cosier for winter for inspiration.

What are your favourite things about the colder weather? Or are you a die-hard summer fan? Let me know in the comments!

*Post written in collaboration with Homebase