Why I Like Winter, Reasons 1-3

Those who know me well might be scratching their heads at the title to this blog. Most people would say I do NOT like winter. And they would generally be right. This Texas gal has been living in Boston since 1995 (minus two glorious years back in Austin for grad school). Everyone says, “Oh, you’ll get used to the cold.” Well, I’ve been through over a dozen winters. I’d say I’m used to them by now. But it hasn’t made me LIKE them. Winters are dark. They’re cold. They’re slushy and drippy and gritty and generally just nasty. I’m used to winter. But I still don’t like it.

Yet I’ve started to accept that Boston is home. We’ve been here for a while, and will likely stay a while longer. The Texan in me hasn’t been able to consider Boston my permanent home yet, but that’s just me taking a trip down the river Denial. It’s time to start liking winter. So I’m trying to talk myself into it. I suspect this will be a multi-part series before I’m truly convinced…

So here we go:  reasons I like winter…

1.     Snow truly is beautiful. It’s beautiful as it’s falling. It’s beautiful piled up on branches, fences, and the gingerbread trim of the lovely old homes along the Arboretum. It makes everything look nicer. 

2.     Snow is fun to play in. The dogs love it. It’s like catnip for our dogs; a local dog-walker referred to it as canine cocaine. Hmm, the dogs always come in with it all over their noses… The girls like playing in it too. We have an amazing sledding hill across the street in the Arboretum, and we were out there this morning getting in a few runs before the rain washed the snow into slush puddles. Up until MeToo slid nose-first into HeyMama’s parked sled, we were having a blast. Then we just had a bloody nose and the urgent need for some calming cups of hot chocolate…

3.     Snowclouds make for magical nights. There’s something special about those evenings when it’s not snowing, but the clouds are hanging low. The ambient light (aka urban light pollution) reflects back and forth off of the clouds and snow, and the sky faintly glows. The clouds and snow help damp the ambient city noise (aka urban noise pollution), and the night is quiet. It’s a treat to go out with the dogs, look out over the snow-covered woods, and just drink in the quiet under the pink-gray sky.

Ok, that’s all I’ve got for now. My goal for this winter is to come up with at least 25 reasons. Perhaps in the process I can fall in love with winter.

Why do you love winter?