Hot drinks take the chill off a cold winter's day

Something meditative about savouring what's in a mug

One beautiful fall day, my father took my sisters and me to a park that was vibrant with maple trees to play in the golden leaves.

He came well prepared knowing that after playing in the leaves, nothing was better than a cup of hot chocolate from the plaid-adorned family Thermos.

He lined up the cups on the picnic table and poured the steaming hot chocolate. I picked up my cup with anticipation of the hot, chocolatey goodness and there was a spider floating in it.

I screamed and tossed the contents of my cup. I wanted another cup, but the Thermos was empty and I burst into tears. This was the only bad hot chocolate episode I can recall. I've had bad hot chocolate since then, but not spider-tossing-bad.

There was one that I considered bad at the time and it was when my grandmother made me a cup of actual hot cocoa. I was used to drinking vaguely chocolate-flavoured Quik and the cocoa had a real edge to it. It was just too intense for my childish palate, though I love the flavour now.

There's a basic quality to hot drinks that kind of tugs at and warms your heart. Maybe a cherished person brought a cup of hot milk or hot water with lemon and honey when you were sick, feeling low or to share a moment over. You may have prepared it yourself just because you like it.

Warm drinks, including coffee, broth and tea, are meditative when you remove yourself from outside distractions and relax into just drinking and savouring what you're drinking.

Equally important as what's in the cup is the cup itself. Most people have a favourite cup. I'm partial to thick-walled vessels without handles because I find it easier and very soothing to hold a warm cup in both hands. And it's just as comforting to offer it up to another person from your hands and into theirs.