The Season of Intentional Gatherings

This is one of my favorite excerpts of all time. Winter is a really special time, that I have always loved and this sums it up perfectly. With the temperatures dropping quickly and the night coming sooner, I can’t help but think of this often. Taken from Issue 2 of Kinfolk
“In summer, gatherings of friends are often spontaneous and imprecise. We might run into each other and spend the rest of the evening eating watermelon in someone’s backyard or sharing beers at a favorite pub. There is little distinction between your house and my house, between my front porch and the boulevard. The restaurant blurs into the sidewalk; the day blurs into the night. In winter, the opposite is true: gatherings are deliberate and brave. We arrive at each other’s homes wrapped in sweaters and parkas and scarves, our faces and feet aching from the immediate warmth. We peel off our mittens and place them on the stove to dry. We bring foods that re-stimulate our sense of smell and remind us of color: rich red wine, baked sweet potatoes, pecan pie. We are reminded also (and perhaps more importantly) of each other. We have been isolated by the cold and eschewed the outside for days. We’ve turned inward. Now, together, undistracted by the sounds of the street, committed to our present time and place, locked in by wind and ice, we are enlivened by community. If we could, we’d never leave. 
Winter is the recognition, in the form of a season, that we need each other.”
-Nikaela Marie Peters
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Photo Credit: Dart Photographie