Possible Clues:

• Period of slow growth
• 'If ... comes, can Spring be far behind?' (Shelley)
• Cold time
• It arrives just before Christmas, for many
• Following the fall it was not so hot
• Christmas time
• Concerto in Vivaldi's "The Four Seasons"
• Can there be a spring far behind this?
• When it's all cold, bury it at last
• Don't lose the latter half of the season