Overview of Slightly More Happens - January Delights
This is a longer, sleep-friendly episode from Wellness Loud (part of the Bedtime Stories for Everyone / Nothing Much Happens family) read by Catherine Nicolai. It delivers three cozy, winter-themed stories—“Cold Snap and Crosswords,” “Winter Walk,” and “Fresh Snow”—designed to settle the mind and ease listeners to sleep. The episode pairs gentle domestic rituals, slow outdoor moments, and rich sensory detail with a slow, calming delivery (each story is read twice, slower the second time) and includes sponsor messages and charity notes.
Episode structure & production notes
- Host/reader: Catherine Nicolai. Audio engineer: Bob Wittersheim.
- Format: longer episode with multiple stories (free feed: 2–3 longer episodes monthly; premium feed: 5–6 stories monthly and occasional 9+ hour episodes). Stories are read twice; listeners can restart if they wake later.
- Charity: this episode gives to Mimi’s Pantry.
- Sponsors and promos included: Vanity Fair’s Tough Cookie (podcast), Shopify (trial offer), Nature’s Sunshine (Brain Edge: 20% off with code NOTHINGMUCH).
Story summaries
Cold Snap and Crosswords
- Setting: top-floor studio apartment with a gas fireplace and tall windows; a lazy, very cold Sunday morning.
- Plot highlights: the narrator luxuriates in staying in bed, makes coffee with a French press, and settles into crossword puzzles gifted by her brother. Small delights—steam, flames, puzzle clues (Alto, Oreo, syzygy → lazed)—build a sense of contentment and quiet domestic joy.
- Mood: snug, playful, gently amused; an invitation to savor small comforts.
Winter Walk
- Setting: a clear, cold morning after deep snow; sun-slashed rooms, then a bundled walk into woods and meadow.
- Plot highlights: morning rituals (making the bed as meditation), pulling on layers, walking slowly through fresh snow, following a frozen creek, and a quiet encounter with a trusting doe. Returns home to a warm house and a purring cat.
- Mood: reflective, meditative, connected to nature and routine.
Fresh Snow
- Setting: fresh light, fluffy snow after a night of falling flakes; a day of snowshoeing, a rustic ski lodge, and gentle post-exertion rituals.
- Plot highlights: a snowshoe trek beside a frozen lake, shared fireside rest and hot drinks with friends, a restorative Epsom-salt bath while watching snow, and a day of skiing that follows—balanced activity and slow recuperation.
- Mood: communal warmth, physical ease, gratitude for simple pleasures and friendships.
Central themes & sensory palette
- Warmth vs cold: repeated contrasts between crisp, cold air and deep, restorative warmth (fireplaces, baths, blankets).
- Slow, intentional rituals: making the bed, morning tea/coffee, puzzle-solving, layering up for a walk—small acts used as grounding practices.
- Presence and notice: sensory detail (steam, snowflakes, birch bark, ice patterns) encourages mindful attention.
- Comfort with aging and self-companionship: contentment in quiet friendships and self-care routines; “making friends with yourself.”
- Nature as companion: encounters (doe, fox, frozen lake) that feel intimate and unhurried.
Notable lines
- “The day was what it was, and now we are here, with nothing to do and no plans to make or hold on to—just deep restorative sleep.”
- “It was a good place to be in your life when you realized you didn't need to prove anything to the people you were sharing your time with.”
Practical takeaways & listening tips
- Best used as a sleep aid or evening wind-down: let the slow pacing and repeated readings guide you to rest.
- If you wake at night, restart the stories—each reading is intentionally slow and soothing.
- Try a few rituals from the episode to build calm: make your bed each morning, take a mindful walk, or run a warm bath with salts.
- Consider the premium feed for longer episodes if you want multi-hour sleep stories.
Sponsors, offers & charity
- Shopify: promoted as an entrepreneurial nudge (trial via Shopify/nothingmuch).
- Nature’s Sunshine (Brain Edge): ad for a nootropic yerba mate drink—20% off first order with code NOTHINGMUCH at naturesunshine.com.
- Vanity Fair’s Tough Cookie: ad for the Wally “Famous Amos” story podcast.
- Charity: this episode supports Mimi’s Pantry (details in show notes).
Sweet, slow, sensory storytelling designed to quiet the mind—ideal for listeners who want a gentle, winter-flavored drift to sleep.