Replacing Winter

We made our first winter visit to Briggs Nursery in Attleboro this week, a small ritual we return to whenever the season feels especially long. The drive carries us just beyond the South Coast, far enough to feel like an outing, close enough to remain familiar. The goal is simple: warmth, light, and a reminder that winter is not the only story being told.

Inside the greenhouses, the air changes immediately. Moist warmth replaces the sharp cold outside, and color takes over where winter has stripped everything bare. Rows of orchids and leafy greens stretch toward filtered sunlight, their presence almost theatrical after weeks of grey skies. We wander slowly, letting the space do its quiet work.

The display areas feel less like shopping and more like walking through a contained season. Plants cluster in soft arrangements, textures layered against glass and light. Even the sound shifts. Footsteps soften. Conversations lower. It becomes easy to linger.

We leave with a pair of orchids and a house latte for the road, small souvenirs of the visit. Stepping back outside, the cold returns quickly, but it feels different after carrying a little warmth with us. These winter trips don’t erase the season. They simply remind us that growth continues somewhere nearby, waiting its turn.