While Christmas festivities whirl all around us and winter starts settling in with all its chilly drama, I’ve been feeling… well, a little conflicted. Winter and I? We’re not exactly soulmates. Honestly, it’s my least favorite season, with the very big exception of Christmas, of course. Give me spring’s soft pastels, summer’s full-on sunshine, or fall’s fiery show any day. Winter’s gray and cold just doesn’t quite vibe with me.

But, like it or not, this is the season we’re in, so I’m determined to find joy in the moment. And to my surprise, winter actually showed off this week.

Sure, I can cheat a little and stroll through our warm, cozy chrysanthemum houses where everything is green and growing like it’s not December at all. But instead, I stepped outside of my heated hideaways and into the brisk air, and guess what? Life is happening out there, too!

Just this week, the very first sprouts of ranunculus and anemone from our first tunnel planting pushed their tiny determined heads through the soil. Those little green curls always feel like a secret handshake from the future; one of the very first real signs of the coming season. We have several waves of ranunculus and anemone plantings planned, and this first one popping up feels like the starting bell. Let the slow, beautiful progression begin!

And that’s not even the end of the excitement. Our Icelandic poppy plugs arrived right on schedule. These happy little darlings always show up in early December like clockwork. We tucked them into the tunnels where they’ll snooze through the winter before waking up to bloom their cheerful hearts out in early spring. It feels good to see some green in the tunnels right now, like flowers aren’t really so far away.

Meanwhile, we’re still direct-sowing seeds around these crops and prepping for the spring babies that will join them soon. So even though the outside world may look a bit bleak and blustery, it’s actually a wonderfully busy, quietly hopeful time here.

Winter might not be my season, but I have to give it credit: there’s a whole lot of life waking up beneath the cold, and seeing the first signs of 2026 already stretching awake under December’s gray skies definitely fills me with gratitude, and maybe, just maybe, a tiny bit of winter love.