Hairstyle Trends: The Circle- Moominland Midwinter, Chasing Away The Darkness (And A scent to go with it)

"There are such a lot of things that have no place in summer and autumn and spring. Everything that's a little shy and a little rum. Some kinds of night animals and people that don't fit in with others and that nobody really believes in. They keep out of the way all the year. And then when everything's quiet and white and the nights are long and most people are asleep — then they appear."

— Too-Ticky in Moominland Midwinter

My original intention was to write about Hanukkah, as it is the part of my heritage that relates to the season and the holiday I and my family celebrate. But since I'm not even remotely religious and my interest in latkes and dreidels is fairly limited (the former is bad for the waistline, the latter doesn't make much sense other than as a lame cat toy), I started thinking in more general terms. The season has been celebrated since the dawn of mankind, long before my people started deep frying stuff and putting candles in the window. If you think of it, both practices have purpose: keeping warm and bringing in the light during the time of the year it's bitterly cold outside and the night seems to never end.

Hanukkah and many of the other seasonal holidays are about chasing the darkness away- both the real darkness and the metaphoric one that might settle in our hearts when we tend to cocoon, be less active (while eating those latkes) and start believing winter is never going to end. One of my favorite books of all time, Moominland Midwinter by Finnish author Tove Jansson, explores this theme beautifully.

Little Moomintroll wakes up unexpectedly in the middle of winter, while the rest of his family and almost all the other animals he's ever known are hibernating. The world as he knows it has changed. Moominland is suddenly a scary, dark and lonely place and the sun doesn't shine. Strange creatures have taken residence in the once-familiar places. Something grumpy lives under the sink, The Lady Of The Cold passes by endangering everyone's lives and the Groke takes away every last trace of warmth by sitting on it. At the same time, other creatures are determined to make the best of the situation. Little My has taken up sledging using Moominmamma tea tray and wearing her floral tea cozy, the Hemulen has gotten into skiing and Too-Ticky fishes under the ice and builds a huge bonfire to welcome back the sun. Everyone else just wants Moominmamma's stores of jam, preferably strawberry.

Moomintroll learn valuable lessons about the circle of life, death, overcoming fear and loneliness by living in the moment and finally realizes that at last that sometimes it's best "if things aren't so easy". Eventually most of the jam is gone, but the world awakens and Moominland comes back to life.

My scent of choice for curling up with this book, a blanket and a cat or two is Theorema by Fendi. Yes, it was discontinued, which fits in nicely with the theme of life, cycles and letting go. It's also a beautiful, warm and happy perfume that comforts and celebrates all that is good in the season and reminds us that the sun really comes back, eventually.

A full list of The Circle's participants, past and future:

Sunday - November 29th: Guest blogger Jane Sibbett opens the Circle

Monday - November 30th: Guest blogger Wendel Meldrum

Tuesday - December 1st: Roxana Villa

Wednesday - December 2nd: Guest blogger Ida Meister

Thursday - December 3rd: Memory and Desire, Heather Ettlinger

Friday - December 4th: Memory and Desire, Jason Ettlinger

Saturday - December 5th: Guest blogger Jade Shute s

Sunday - December 6th ST. NICOLAS DAY Eve and Roxana

Monday - December 7th: Indie Perfumes, Lucy Raubertas

Tuesday - December 8th: Scent Hive, Trish