I’m sorry if winter — or this playlist — breaks your heart. It breaks mine, too. I’m the type of person that doesn’t ignore my emotions. I need to feel all of my feelings, just like I prefer to feel all of the weather. This is what the cold dark does to me. But as cold and dark as winter may be, there is a calmness in it. Here in New England, there seem to be less days of high wind, more days of heavy fog with nary a low breeze. Save for a storm, the woods are quiet, lacking the constant hum of insects and chattering of birds. Snow crunches underfoot and we lay in the heavy blankets of snow. Amid the cold air, the sun slung low in the sky, I remember that, though today may be the shortest day of the year, with the winter solstice, the days only get longer. These are the days that the halcyon times were named for, when the storms ceased to allow for peace. The cello, in its heaviness, reminds me of this. It is “lovely, dark, and deep.” Here is music full of snowfall piano, windy guitar, and bellowing cello that is perfect for winter. Remember the light.