{"version":1,"type":"rich","provider_name":"Libsyn","provider_url":"https:\/\/www.libsyn.com","height":90,"width":600,"title":"Soft Hobbies & Cozy Rituals to Carry Into 2026: Winter Lifestyle Favorites","description":"Welcome back to Bri Books \u2014 the podcast that educates, encourages, and inspires by exploring ideas both on and off the page. Today\u2019s episode is about winter lixfestyle favorites: the soft hobbies, rituals, and everyday comforts that carried me through 2025 and that I\u2019m intentionally bringing with me into 2026. You\u2019ve heard a lot about the \u201csoft life\u201d and the \u201csoft girl era.\u201d I want to offer a reframing: your grandmother may be the softest woman you know. Softness isn\u2019t new. It\u2019s inherited. It\u2019s practiced. It\u2019s slow. If you\u2019re new to the show, leave a review of Bri Books on Apple Podcasts, and listen to Bri Books on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.Please tell me where you\u2019re traveling to by using #bribooks on Instagram and subscribe to the Bri Books newsletter at bribookspod.com\/newsletter.  This episode isn\u2019t about hustle or optimization. It\u2019s about winter evenings, quiet joy, and choosing process over productivity. Last winter, I noticed myself reaching less for outcomes and more for ways of being \u2014 warmth, texture, ritual, and time that felt expansive rather than efficient. These are the lifestyle favorites that came out of that season and are staying with me. 1. Embroidery Embroidery is the ultimate soft hobby. It\u2019s tactile, forgiving, and slow in the best way. You can pick it up for ten minutes or lose an entire evening to it. Best of all, you always have something to show for your time: a few stitches, a pattern emerging, a garment mended. It requires no screens, very little space, and pairs beautifully with audiobooks, podcasts, or quiet TV. On dark winter nights, embroidery feels deeply grounding. 2. Popcorn From the Cob This was a surprise favorite of 2025. Popping kernels directly off a dried corn cob feels old-fashioned and ceremonial. It turns a snack into an event. Pop it on the stove, finish with butter and flaky salt, and eat while reading or watching snow fall. It\u2019s nostalgic, humbling, and cozy: and it happens fast enough that it asks for your full attention. 3. Candle Making & Light as Ritual I\u2019ve been making candles for years, but winter 2025 made it a true ritual. Choosing the scent, wax, and vessel is an act of intention. I make candles in batches early in the season and burn them slowly throughout winter so my home smells familiar and grounding. In long, dark months, light matters. So start making your candles. 4. Gardening (Even in Winter) Gardening doesn\u2019t stop in winter; it changes form. Winter gardening looks like planning, seed sorting, journaling, and tending indoor plants. It\u2019s a reminder that growth doesn\u2019t always look active. Winter is when I reflect on what I want to grow \u2014 literally and metaphorically \u2014 in the year ahead. 5. A New Duvet from Culver One of my most meaningful upgrades of 2025 was investing in better sleep. A Cultiver linen duvet changed how winter nights felt. Linen regulates temperature beautifully, feels lived-in, and makes your bed feel like a destination. When nights are long, rest should feel intentional. 6. A Beautiful Cup from Jinen This may sound small, but it isn\u2019t. A really good cup changes how you experience mornings. Texture matters. Weight matters. A ceramic or natural-finish cup slows you down and makes tea or coffee feel ceremonial. Winter mornings deserve softness. This cup from Jinen porcelain Hasami cup has become my absolute favorite porcelain cup for everyday use. 7. Instant Pot (and Instant Pot Culture) In 2025, I leaned into comfort cooking: soups, stews, beans, and broths. The Instant Pot makes nourishment accessible without urgency. Batch cooking on Sundays meant weekday dinners felt cared for instead of chaotic. 8. Farmers Markets (Even in Winter) Winter farmers markets are quieter, more intentional, and deeply communal. Root vegetables, bread, eggs, preserves. Shopping local in winter feels like an act of care \u2014 a reminder that provision exists in every season, just in different forms. 9. Painting Painting returned to my life without pressure to be good. Winter painting is about mood, texture, and emotion \u2014 not outcome. Paint in low light. Let it be messy. Let it exist just for you. 10. New Boots & a New Coat A good pair of winter boots grounds you \u2014 literally. Practical, wearable winter clothing makes cold weather feel intentional instead of inconvenient. Winter style should support your life, not complicate it. These favorites aren\u2019t about consumption. They\u2019re about attention. Soft hobbies teach us to stay. Winter rituals remind us we\u2019re allowed to move slowly. As we head into 2026, I\u2019m choosing warmth, intention, and creativity \u2014 and leaving urgency behind.   If you\u2019re new to the show, leave a review of Bri Books on Apple Podcasts, and listen to Bri Books on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.Please tell me where you\u2019re traveling to by using #bribooks on Instagram and subscribe to the Bri Books newsletter at bribookspod.com\/newsletter.  ","author_name":"Bri Books","author_url":"https:\/\/www.bribookspod.com","html":"