Excuse the rudeness in my title, but I must be frank. The thing is, I too once despised winter. The cold, the layering, the limited amount of activities and the worst task of all (that I still despise): pumping gas in the frigid cold.
But my hatred toward winter was seriously holding me back on so many cool activities and getaways. For example, had I still hated winter, I may have missed the opportunity to hike through quiet snow-covered woods that glittered with the sun and the flock of chickadees that landed on my hands to munch of seeds. The awkward feeling of snowshoes on my feet as I trekked up hilly trails to see a spectacular wintry view of the Niagara escarpment. Or the romantic hike I took with my boyfriend to see a frozen waterfall where we brought spiked hot chocolate in a thermos. I write all this apprehensively because I enjoy a lot of things in the winter without the crowds of others, which sort of creates a magical experience.
But again, we live in Canada! We are living in a country that gets to enjoy all four seasons and that’s pretty cool. But it’s only cool if you truly believe it is, and I promise you once you change your attitude toward winter you will never dread it ever again.
So what turned grumpy old me into winter’s best advocate? Two things: I bought warmer clothing, and I made a taking back winter list. This list led me on some very exciting excursions and adventures. Here’s what you can do to attempt making winter awesome again:
- Invest in a super warm parka that covers your butt (seriously)
- Buy practical boots (UGG’s are not waterproof FYI)
- Fill your drawers with fleece-lined tights to wear underpants and leggings and make thermal tops a staple
- Fleece lined hats are the warmest and mittens keep your fingers warmer
- Start making a list of the cool activities you would like to try (I went all over the place last winter trying to check off everything on my list, and luckily my boyfriend who hates the cold joined me on almost all of them).
- Choose things you’ve never done before: Snowshoeing, dog sledding, cross-country skiing, all the skating trails in the area, etc.
By the end of the winter, I was a little sad that it was coming to end. What made me feel even better about my experiences was my boyfriend’s reaction to everything we had done. He had been living in Australia for 4 years and hadn’t experienced a full Canadian winter in a long time, but loved all the adventures we went on because he would never have done them otherwise.
It’s not easy trying something new when you think you hate it because of certain factors…like the cold, but when you make the effort and adjust your attitude, you get to experience some really amazing opportunities with full enjoyment!
