2025 Issue #47

The Wellness Routine You Need to Know and My Simple Farmhouse Hot Cocoa Recipe

From: Nikki Leary I nikki@rootfornew.com

Hi Reader,

We officially got our first big snowfall of the season here at the farm — about 5 inches of pure magic. The kids immediately grabbed their sleds and flew down the giant pile of mulch we never got around to spreading last season (truly, an accidental parenting win). The driveway was cleared in minutes thanks to the Bobcat we also didn’t have last winter.

Meanwhile, I stayed cozy inside, firmly committed to my anti-cold lifestyle, and whipped up hot cocoa to warm the kids back up (recipe below).

It’s wild how different the seasons feel out here. Spring, summer, and fall? Total madhouse.
Winter? It’s like the farm exhales.

For about a month — right after the chaos of harvest and before the planning for next season kicks into high gear — I finally catch up on all the canning, baking, and organizing projects that got shoved into “future me will handle this” territory.

And yet… I still have moments where I feel lazy. Like I’m not doing enough. Like I “should” be hustling harder.

Then I remember something that’s actually true in plant biology: trees literally cannot survive without rest.

Decades of research show that if a tree doesn’t get its required dormancy period — if you interrupt the signals that tell it to slow down, conserve energy, and reset — the tree becomes weaker, more susceptible to disease, and ages faster. Some species won’t produce fruit the following year. Some will die early.

Not because they’re “broken,” but because they’re overstimulated when they’re biologically designed to rest.

Sound familiar?

Maybe pushing ourselves through every season isn’t the badge of honor we’ve been taught it is. Maybe winter — literal or metaphorical — isn’t laziness, but wisdom. Maybe your body is doing what bodies (and trees) do: asking for a slower rhythm so it can rebuild strength for the next season of growth.

So this week, if you’re feeling the tug to slow down… trust it.
That’s not weakness.
It’s intelligence.
It’s biology.
It’s alignment.

And it’s your reminder that rest is a requirement — not a reward.

Here’s that hot cocoa recipe the boys approved:

xo,

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P.S. Use code DEC10 to get $10 off any order of $50 or more now through December 17. A little gift from me to you — because you deserve something cozy this season too. 🍵 Shop now. ​

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