Sometimes, I think that I miss it –  not the slippery, iced-over sidewalks that are impossible to walk or the packed subway cars filled with puffy coats and agitated commuters...but the quiet moments when the snow's untouched. In the last snow dump that I could remember before I left, I walked around my neighborhood and it felt as magical as the dreams I had of a place I never thought I'd live. 

When I think about winter, I think about wistfulness, about how things never feel quite right after autumn has passed. Instead, winter feels like a season to reflect on regrets and to wish for something better in the new year.

And while that isn't the healthiest outlook, it's hard to argue with. When I was growing up, winter meant the turning of the calendar and getting older and wondering what that meant. In college, it meant coming home and connecting with old friends until your old friends became distant friends and then those distant friends become images on a Facebook news feed that you don't even really recognize if it weren't for their names. 

When I think about winter, I think about the little things that make your heart feel a little less pained. I think about hot chocolate and walking down Fifth Avenue to marvel at the displays, even in the rain. I think about cozy slippers and Girl Scout cookies and watching the Hudson disappear as the snow came. I think about movie nights and New Year's Eve plans and wishing, every year, that the next would be the year I stopped wishing for moments of warmth and hoping for seasons of magic. 

And that's what inspired these selections. I hope you'll enjoy them with a warm drink at hand.

VOL. 4: Peppermint