Born and raised in Minnesota, USA (except for one year spent in northern North Dakota).
I grew up playing hockey for a town too poor to afford ‘indoor ice rinks’, so we played outdoors, with a modified tractor to resurface the ice. I ski, sled and snowshoe every chance I get.
I love winter. I don’t hate summer. However, to make a broad generalization, those who love summer tend to hate winter. And I just don’t get it.
All winter we’re bombarded with anti-winter ads. People are seen standing around outside, wishing they were somewhere like Tijuana. There’s a whole class of citizen (snowbirds) that winter in places like Arizona. The imported weathermen on TV put on their Frowny Faces when cold weather approaches. And I just don’t get it.
Is it really that bad? Am I deluded? All the time I hear people refer to the Northern Plains as ‘tundra’. (Having been on real tundra, I can tell you it’s nothing of the sort.) People jokingly welcome global warming with the idea that it would be better than the alternative. I get stressed over the idea that my daughter might not get to have the same (winter) experiences that I did.
I just don’t get it. Please, if you don’t like the cold, enlighten me.
My guess is it simply boils down to personal preference. I used to hate the cold. Now I’m so overweight, nothing above zero degrees feels cold to me. I won’t wear a winter coat and gloves outside unless it’s below zero and with my long hair acting as a built-in scarf and hat, I never wear, well, you get it.
However, when I was younger and less husky, I used to hate the cold. Chicago winter temperatures aren’t as bad as average Minnesota winters, but when that wind gets blowing off the lake, walking down Michigan Ave in Jan. is not my idea of a good time.
Speaking as one who for the most part is still unappreciative of northern winters, the hottest, most humid weather can be unpleasant, but the coldest, windiest weather can be painful and even can turn deadly in a matter of minutes given the wrong set of conditions.
Others associate cold with being cooped-up inside with nothing to do. One good thing about the winter is that everything seems to slow down.
If humans were meant to live in cold climates, they’d be covered in thick fur. Seriously. In order to survive in cold climates you have to build elaborate structures, use large amounts of energy for heating, wear lots of clothers, and you’re still uncomfortable. Also, we need sunlight for our well-being.
There was a study (no cite - there are still things not on the web) which determined that humans performed best (physically and mentally) at temperatures between something like 60-80 degrees F. - it got ink locally (record low: 30-ish, record high: 90-ish, generally 60-70-ish during daylight.
Q: at what temperature does your body feel comfty? Without the 27 layers of cloth/animal skins you’re used to wearing?
heathen (who, if he wishes to see snow, drives 3 hours, otherwise stays warm & cozy)
Yes, and if humanity were meant to drive cars they would have eyes in the back of their heads and other things. We have to build cars in a very complicated manner with seats and doors and windows and mirrors, because humans aren’t designed right. That doesn’t mean it’s a bad idea.
No, you don’t have to be uncomfortable in cold weather if you know how to handle the cold. I get uncomfortable in warm weather but I don’t think that means that humans aren’t supposed to live in places with warm weather.
But 4 months without sunlight doesn’t hurt people, remeber you get more sunlight in the summer.
Well, four months without sunlight seriously hurts me, and I suspect it affects a lot of people more than they realize. Already, I’m finding it hard to get out of bed.
I find winter clothing uncomfortable. It restricts your movement and you have to keep taking it on and off.
Achernar, my point was that we are physically adapted to very hot climates, not cold climates. I prefer the climate that evolution has prepared me for. I think it’s the freaks (:)) who like cold weather who should explain why they prefer weather that can kill them without special technology to protect them.
What chula said. People who like cold weather always say “at least when it’s cold you can put more clothes on, there’s only so much you can take off when it’s hot”. Well, I hate having to bundle up. I am at my most comfortable in short sleeves, skirt and sandals. It’s kind of hard to dress like that when it’s near freezing outside.
Anyway, late autumn/early winter is my favorite time of year. Here in Austin it’s been cold and rainy for days now, and I don’t want it to end! It’s great.
I don’t like to be cold. I hate being constrained in winter clothing. I hate the dry air from the heater. I hate hate hate having ice on my car in the morning. I can’t stand snow. I have no interest in any out door winter activities. I can’t stand the shorter days. I like it to still be light outside until 8:00.
I want to camp and fish and swim and boat and run around barefoot in a bikini.
That is why I live in the south were are winters are short and mild and our summers are long and hot. I would probably crawl under a rock and die if I had to spend a winter in Minnesota.
I grew up with Big Winters, and I thought I hated 'em. I hated having to bundle up, I hated being cold, I hated snow, I just wanted to live someplace WARM.
Then I moved someplace relatively warm. After 11 years of lukewarm, pansy ass seasons, I’m back in the NORTH and I cannot wait until the snow comes.
I’m a northern girl, no doubt about it. I love the grey days, the brilliant cold star-drenched nights, the snow and the lakes. I love waking up and looking outside and have absolutely no doubt what season it is.
i spent seven years in Michigan after living in Kansas City all my life. i had never hated winter so much till moving there. first, it began earlier and ended later. there were no breaks of warm spells inbetween. in KC, you have to wear sunglasses in winter; it’s always bright. and though there are extremely cold temps, there are always little breaks now and then, as a sign that it isn’t permanent.
in the two areas of Michigan i lived in, it just got cold and dark in October and stayed that way til May. there was no burst of Spring. and i was always freezing, no matter how much i dressed for it. my ears, nose, fingers and toes would just burn with cold. here on the Jersey Shore, winter is pleasant by comparison. this will be my third one, and though i miss sunlight, i am not constantly searching for some glimpse that life will begin again, because it’s never fully dormant. it does look asleep rather than dead.
i agree with In Conceivable completely–just being forced to wear shoes; ones that i cannot slip on and off with no effort is a frustration i could happily live without.
I just wonder why so many immigrants from Scandinavia ended up in places like Minnesota or Michigan (where my relatives live) when they could have settled down somewhere warm instead?
*Boat drinks
Waitress, I need two more boat drinks
Then I’m heading south 'fore my dream shrinks
I gotta go where it’s warm [I gotta go where it’s]
I gotta go where it’s warm [I gotta go where it’s]
I gotta go where it’s WARM!
I gotta go where there ain’t any snow
Where there ain’t any blow, 'cause my fins sink so low
I gotta go where it’s warm*
I’m not a huge fan of the cold - I would rather be too warm than too cold. But I live in Illinois, and I manage. Mrs. Mancer was looking at the possibility of a job in Minnesota last year and friends were telling us, “But it’s so COLD there!” My only response was, “Umm…I know how to put on a coat.”
I can’t imagine deciding that you’re going to confine yourself to a small area because you might feel a little uncomfortable elsewhere.
A small area? I figure that at least 1/2 of the world is warm enough for me so I will confine myself to those areas. Seems large enough to me.
To me it is about life style. It isn’t about managing, it is about being happy with my life! I am not going to be happy somewhere that I can’t spend more then half the year outside barefoot. I like to do warm weather outside things and am miserable during the short relatively mild winter I have to put up with now.
if you want to sit on the shore here in wintertime you have to cover your hands and ears or they’ll just freeze and drop right off. and then you can’t really hear the waves properly or let sand run through your fingers. and you can’t let the surf wash over your toes and around your ankles. it’s sad. but it only lasts for a little while, and does serve some purpose. i guess.