Well I’m up early…
It’s another 5am day with John. I don’t mind though. I just need a little coffee and a good book. Anyway, my friend pearlstreetdiva was just talking about how she just does NOT like winter. She was asking about why winter is possibly good except to make things sort of bland and cold, and these are the things that I had:
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Ok, benefits of winter BESIDES "it makes you love the other seasons better" are as follows:
-Snow is beautiful
-Sledding, snowmen, snow angels, etc.
-scarves and hats and mittens and sweaters and warm socks(I am surprised you could give those up!)
-Many plants and animals are adapted to have a winter, and so to suddenly get rid of it would be to lose all these plants and animals… SAD!
-Sort of an obscure one, but many of the benefits in traditional diets wouldn’t exist without the need for food storage over the winter. For instance, fermented foods like sauerkraut, etc. are really really good for people to eat- it’s like a probiotic wonderland. I doubt it would exist if people were able to grow food year round. Many cultures rely on this food now as part of their cultural life and also for their health- like kimchi at every Korean meal.
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I thought of another couple just now-
-All of the symbolism of winter in poetry, art, etc. would be gone- and how often is life really like spring and summer all the time?
-Personally I don’t like being too hot. When I’m cold I can adjust things, but too hot is just that… too hot.
So I wanted to open it up. Perhaps I’m just fooling myself, but I think that everyone can find some reason for winter being a lovely time. I’m also getting a little tired of it myself, so I’d like to think of the positives. So tell me! What makes winter special to you?
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Winter is special to me because my sibling’s birthdays both fall during that time (Feb and Mar). I don’t particularly ‘like’ winter as I don’t really like being cold and lack of sunlight really bothers me.
At the same time, I wouldn’t give it up and move someplace that’s warm all the time because winter makes me appreciate what I’ve got during the other three seasons!
PS- I didn’t get a chance to comment on your last post, but Jake took a look at the necklace photo (the one you want to get a tattoo of) and said “ooh! that’s pretty!” Just thought I’d share 🙂
I love winter because the snuggling and the sex don’t automatically get too hot!
I like the smell of cold people. I first noticed it when I was a kid in Montana and we would be in Ski lodges. It’s kind of a combination of sweat, and wool, and smoke. All of our ski clothes hold that smell for years. I miss it.
I’m a teacher, so I get snow days! They’re pretty awesome.
I love the magic of sitting in a warm house, with hot cocoa, a cat on my lap, and a book in my hand, watching snow drift from the sky.
When I was in college, a bunch of my friends at Interfaith House built a snow church/mosque/synagogue. It was pretty spectacular.
If there was no winter, there wouldn’t be much fall, and I love watching the changing leaves, especially in New Jersey, where the tree-covered mountains create tapestries of color.
Frost is beautiful–until I scrape it off my car.
But still, I do prefer late spring and early fall, with one or two sultry summer days.
Being someone who sometimes experiences “winter blues” I do fully understand where the dislike for winter comes from. I think that winter is hard for people because at the end of your “work day” around 5 or 6, it’s probably dark and you feel like your day is already over. However, in the spring and summer, when you get finished with your “work day” you feel like you still have a whole bright and sunny evening ahead of you to do the things you love to do! Be that as it may, I suppose if Michigan winter was really that bad, I would have already found a way to leave this state, right? But there is something about it that makes me feel it’s an important part of the circle of life. Without winter, I wouldn’t be nearly as excited to welcome spring. After every winter, during the transition into spring, I feel full of awe wonder like a kid on Christmas morning. Perhaps this is symbolic to life itself. We would never appreciate the beauty of sunlight and new life unless we also experience the darkness. We all need a little winter in our lives to appreciate the spring all the more.
fires in the fireplace!
Hmm. Just a few personal reasons why I think winter can be enjoyable…
Sitting inside next to a roaring fire.
Christmas – for me that’s now a time of year when I get to see my family, so I look forward to it now more than ever.
Hats, scarves etc. I actually like it when it gets cold enough to start wearing stuff like that again.
Bare trees look pretty.
Don’t have to worry about sunburn.
I tend to sleep better in winter because it’s dark for longer.
January sales.