by Jenny Barnett

Winter doesn’t rush in. It settles.
Quietly.
Steadily.
Like a heavy quilt pulled over the shoulders of the year.

And the work of this season?
It’s less about doing and more about readying. Ready to rest, ready to endure, ready to let things be slower, and let them be enough.

As fall fades and frost starts to stick, here’s how we prepare the home, pantry, and body to meet winter not with urgency, but with peace.

Stacking for Stillness: Hearth Prep

The hearth is the heartbeat of winter. It gives more than heat, it offers rhythm. The crackle. The stacking. The slow adding of kindling.

Here’s how we prepare ours:

• Stack firewood in cords and keep it dry, off the ground, and within reach
• Store it with care in a wrought iron wood holder near the door
• Keep kindling baskets full and ready with pinecones, waxed cloth, bark curls
• Wipe down stove glass, check seals, sweep chimneys

This isn’t a job to rush. Stack your wood like it matters: in winter, it does.

Layering In: Wardrobe for Warmth

Swap out summer threads for fabrics that carry weight and purpose:

• Wool socks, flannel shirts, lined vests
• Flannel-lined jeans from Duluth; warm, durable, and made to move
• Wool hats and hand-knit mitts stacked by the door
• Aprons in heavier fabrics to keep warmth in the kitchen and on the body

Don’t pack everything away too fast, leave a few transitional pieces out. Fall has its second winds.

Pantry and Prep: Slowing the Kitchen Down

Now’s the time to stock, not sprint:

• Set out your favorite soup pot
• Place tea and coffee within arm’s reach
• Create a “winter shelf” with broths, dry beans, canned veg, and ferments
• Keep sourdough starter near the stove if you bake, it likes warmth too

Our favorites this season:

• Juniper Mountain Coffee for small-batch, soul-warming blends
• The View from Great Island for hearty, one-pot meals made for quiet nights

Self Care That Stays Put

Winter doesn’t need a skincare routine overhaul, just a gentle return to basics.

• Switch to nourishing, cold-weather balms like this tallow & honey balm from Based Supplies
• Trade out harsh soaps and shampoo for Sun Basin shampoo and soap bars, kind to skin, kind to drains
• Keep a salve by the sink, a balm by the bed, and a basket of cozy socks near the stove

These small rituals add up. They remind the body it is cared for — even on the hard days.

Indoor Rituals for Shorter Days

Short days don’t mean less living. They mean living inward.

A few of our quiet-weather rituals:

• Lighting candles at 4:30, just to honor the dark
• Filling a simmer pot with spruce tips, cinnamon, and orange peel
• Reading one chapter a night by lamp light: no screens
• Writing grocery lists and prayers on the same scrap paper
• Letting meals stretch long and dishes wait

Let the Cold Come, You’re Ready

Preparing for winter isn’t about bracing. It’s about building a home that says:
“You’re safe. You’re warm. You’re welcome here.” A place to hunker down on short, dark days when the work is done and the wait is just beginning.

So bring in the wood.
Hang the flannel on the peg.
Light the first fire not out of need, but out of rhythm.
And let the deep season do what it does best, quiet the noise and deepen the roots.

— Jenny