And if you’re not up for reading (or don’t know how;) ) there is a tape as well, of the same title. An ex-boyfriend bought it for me, and I think he got at Barnes & Noble. They even pronounciate things for you, and explain to you how to handle the ever-happening meeting someone on a deserted road in the middle of the Great White Tundra…but I digress. 
All will be well if you learn to ski by starlight. It takes a lot of magic for Mother Nature to make all that snow, so you might as well let some of that stardust rub off on you. Winter can truly be wonderful if you just go with it.
Don’t be surprised when you wake up before sunrise, are in classes/work all day, and go home after sunset.
For a two-week period last December, I didn’t see the sun.
I probably should have taken a lunch break one of those days . . .
I’ll reiterate the darkness thing: It gets dark in the winter. For long periods of time. That is, the sun rises at 7:30 or so in the morning, and goes down before 4:30. Day after day after day.
Ditto on the shovel, and EXTRA ditto on the ice scraper for the car. And don’t listen to those guys - get a long one, they have more blade area, and you’ll get less ice on your hand.
Remember that snow is wet. You DO NOT want to get cold and wet. That sucks more than anything in the world, especially if you can’t change anytime soon. If you go frolic in the snow, make sure you can just go in and change your clothes if necessary.
On the plus side, I think that you’ll find that changing into warm, dry clothes from your cold, wet ones is the best feeling in the entire world. Simply indescribable. It gets better when you then relax in a warm cozy room while reading a favorite book.
The fluffier the snow, the more incredibly freezing cold it is.
Slipping on ice is only funny in the movies.
It’s been said before, but I’ll say it again: HAT.
Jeans are the worst possible choice on a cold, windy day. Do not subject yourself to this torture if you can possibly avoid it.
Learn to ski or ice skate. Even better, learn both. If you’ve used inline skates, you can use ice skates.
Drive like you’re on eggshells.
And just so you know what you’re getting into, here’s a link with sunrise, sunset, average high, average low, mean temp, record high, and record low for Minneapolis in December.
(Hoo-ee! A record low of -35F for Dec 19th! Those are the days when you open your door, throw a pan of water into the air, and hear it shatter as it hits the ground…)
Those are also the days that when you breath, your boogers freeze.
And you’re grateful that you’re NOT wearing those jeans because, wet or not, your jeans WILL freeze. And it’s not a comfortable feeling.
Even better is when the wind is blowing; here in Chicago we’ve been known to get occasional wind chills of -70. There is NOTHING that will keep you warm for more than a few minutes outside in that weather. I took to commuting in long johns, Polartec sweatpants, turtleneck, heavy wool sweater, wool socks, Thinsulate boots, a long down coat, scarf, and Russian fur hat with earflaps down. It was so cold, my eyelashes (my eyes were the only exposed part of me, allthough I seriously considered a scuba mask) froze together by the time I walked the 2 blocks to the train. Of course, then you get on the train in that gear, and you’re drenched in sweat by the time you get downtown, and you freeze in your own sweat. Such fun!
I’d still rather deal with 70 below than 115 above, though. There’s only so much clothing one should take off in public.
Not much to add, being a SoCal girl since the age of four, but I can say that a friend of mine learned a very valuable lesson when she moved to Ohio to go to college:
After showering, be sure your hair is dry before going outside into the cold.
Oh yeah, that reminds me…check your new state’s law regarding that. NH has a 100% law, which means they can ticket you if you don’t clear all the windows fully. Building on lawroot’s advice, try to remember to clear the roof before the windows. Sounds logical enough, right? but being faced with 8" of unexpected snow blanketing your car when you’re already late throws logic out the window.
If the windchill is predicted to be -30 or below in advance, get gas pronto. There’s nothing like pumping gas when the windchill is -45, standing there with the wind ripping through your clothes, making you feel naked despite a heavy coat, to make you wish you were dead.
- I still can’t believe it snowed, and accumulated, on May 18th this year. May 18th!!! That’s a full month later than usual. *
Cold-weather windshield washing fluid. It’s orange. Don’t ask me why. Regular stuff is pretty useless in the winter. If it doesn’t freeze over at the nozzles, it will freeze on your windshield.
I was born in Michigan and spent my teenaged years in Minneapolis. Minnesota isn’t as humid as Michigan - they’re totally different kinds of cold. In Minnesota you can stand out in the cold and barely feel it if you’re bundled up, and when you get indoors where it’s warm you warm back up almost immediately. In Michigan you get cold right to your bones. I’m not kidding. And it takes forever to warm up. It was so cold in Minneapolis that when I stood out waiting for the bus the plastic rims of my glasses snapped more than once. In Michigan it’s either dark or a dull grey from October until April. In Minnesota there’s often bright days so sunny that the sun reflecting off the snow will make your eyes hurt. Warming up your car is a good thing, a engine warmer is even better. If you take the buses you’ll find that the shelters are never quite warm enough. And everything they’ve said about the skeeters? It’s true.
StG
I find I feel worlds warmer, indoors and out, if I make sure the layer close to my skin keeps air from getting to me.
So I buy several pairs of “Cuddle Duds” (you can also get a cheaper knockoff brand). These are very soft and light versions of long underwear. The inner layer is soft; the outer layer is like a nylon tricot. They go under anything and aren’t nearly as bulky as typical long underwear.
You wouldn’t believe the difference these can make. I can’t recommend them highly enough.
In my vast experience living in the northern climate, I’ve determined that snot freezes right at 0°F.
In your nose, that is.
If you notice that the snow squeaks when you walk on it, it’s cold. (About 20 degrees usually.) And the pitch gets higher as it gets colder, so after a while you can pretty much tell the temperature by the noises the snow makes.
The winter is for snuggling up close with a special friend. And given the thousands of wilderness lakes, the summer is perfect for skinny dipping and evening campfires.