A cottage-cozy evening of sparkling spiced cider spiked with brandy and clove-studded lemon slices nesting with smokey vetiver, star anise, perique tobacco, honeycomb, tonka, soft woods, and a worn leather loveseat by the fireside.
And, for the winter fireside meet,
Between the andirons' straddling feet,
The mug of cider simmered slow,
The apples sputtered in a row,
And, close at hand, the basket stood
With nuts from brown October's wood.
What matter how the night behaved?
What matter how the north-wind raved?
Blow high, blow low, not all its snow
Could quench our hearth-fire's ruddy glow.
- John Greenleaf Whittier
Art: The Cottage at the Foot of the Mountain by John Bauer, 1914