How do you find happiness or enjoyment in winter?

[Incogg]

I'm already struggling with the cold and rain and dark. In summer, I often drive out to the countryside for a walk or to the coast for a swim in the sea. If nothing else I sit out in the garden enjoying the sun.
But for the last few weeks I feel like I get in from work, get some tea, and am then just wishing my life away until I can go to bed.

Does anyone else relate? And if not, how do you stay cheerful in winter?

Ha.
I love this. Have images of people walking around in t-shirts proclaiming to love the freezing temperatures.

The reality is winter is for people who love snuggling on the sofa under a blanket in the endless dark. Maybe having a hot chocolate as the highlight of their day. For months on end. Without the ‘pressure’ of actually going out in the evening.

I’m quite envious of these sofa snugglers. I seem to spend every evening ferrying children around in the dark to sport in the freezing cold, miserable. Counting down the days until it’s light at 5pm. Also it feels like the middle of the night at 7.30am so that’s also nice.

There are no positives to going out in the dark to work in the mornings. My body is saying WTF it's still night time.

I use these months like spa months. To rest and restore, pamper myself, face masks etc. Plan holidays and trips for rest of the year when weather is better. Keeps my mind off and I have things to look forward too. Also grt bsck in the gym and just use the time to focus on me. Once weather is better life will be busy going here there everywhere

How can you rest and restore when you still have to go out to work and get home in the dark? We don't all have the luxury of treating winter like a bloody spa break

I love it and loathe summer so it’s easy for me. I do find summer months hard though so I can relate in a roundabout way.

We are retired (still young though at 55 & 58) and it we weren't careful, one day could be very like another whether it be spring, summer, autumn or winter.
We keep busy by working in the garden, taking part in communal activities where we live, walk the Ddogs and have lots of mini breaks in our Moho. Evenings are usually fairly chilled with a bit of TV (DVD's usually), jigsaws, reading and OH likes gaming, this is the same regardless of season with the only difference being that the patio doors are currently not open.
Nothing really sticks out but we are both happy and don't let the weather get us down, the recent constant rain put a damper on things (difficult to get Ddogs to go for walks) but we wrap up warm & dry and just go for it.

Well its more rest because other than work and household stuff im not going out and about much. I'm also not doing any gardening come march time will be spent in the garden every weekend, going out to gigs and summer events, visiting other places around the UK going abroad on holiday.

Right now my weekends are free from all that as are my evenings. So to be I csn treat it like a spa break I have time to spend doing stuff like face masks, painting my nails ( I usually don't bother) etc. I wont have time for this stuff come spring and summer.

I hate winter
Its just grey and dreary and cold and it goes dark at 4 pm
It is thoroughly depressing.
Life is for living not for hiding under a fluffy blanket

I have arthritis. Just moving is painful. Summer I am running around with no pain. Come the first signs of cold and rain and I am in agony.

The very idea that you can embrace it by drinking hot chocolate, central heating and fires in the grate will not prevent the pain of arthritis.

But to answer your question, I don’t have to look hard to find anything I like about Winter, it’s just there in my makeup. Love everything about it especially the dark. I tendto get depressed in Summer, hate the long bright nights. I realise however that I am in the minority and I accept that but cannot change the way I feel. I could never judge anyone for preferring one season over another though but I do find on here that people get really incensed when you say you love Winter. I don’t get that. You like what you like. It really makes people mad. It’s silly. Summer will roll around again and the few Winter lovers among us will be miserable then. Everyone gets their season. Don’t judge or ridicule someone for liking a time of year. Lots more to judge them on than that!

@cardibach didn't say i hated the cold. Just meant didn't like the winter, especially January and February as felt like nothing to look forward to after Xmas, the long drawn out evenings, plus you can't get as much done in winter like you can in summer e.g washing my cars at 8 or 9pm or mowing my grass at 9pm etc
Not the cold I don't like as such

Oh MN with it's romantic version of winter all wrapped up in cashmere sweaters for walks in the woods and then back home in front of the log burner with the Jo Malone candles and the lakeland heated throws and hotel chocolat hot chocolate in the Velvetiser.

Not the real life version of defrosting the car or getting soaked on the school run or at the bus stop or worrying about the fuel bills.

It’s the same with summer, sun kissed skin, beach walks, sandals, bbq’s, picnics, shorts. Some people are not into it and that’s ok.

@cardibach I mean, I wear seasonally appropriate clothing but not tons of layers because I would a million billion times rather be too cold than too hot! I honestly can’t understand why people like baking in the sun and getting all sweaty and sticky – but that’s why I prefer winter to summer, and I know that other people are the other way around. Just because I can’t understand it doesn’t mean I don’t believe you!

But people who are into it are actually into it - not into modifying it. Winter people literally only love the bits where they are warm.

There’s very little baking and sweating in a British summer though. Mostly it’s just warm. Plus I don’t get baked or sweaty because I wear natural fabrics and move a bit less frenetically. Every British winter results in cold grey dampness interspersed with occasional sunny frostiness. Both cost me money in heating. I get that people don5 like the same as me - I don’t get how being cold and damp and paying a fortune on heating can be enjoyable for anyone.

This!

The bitterness against people who like winter from some pp is extraordinairy, trying to convince them that they don’t like it at all. How can it possibly bother you that someone likes different things from you?

I’m like you @Icantbedoingwithit . I just quite like. Winter and Autumn. That seems a remarkable inoffensive thing to like to me!

I like to do my deep tidying around the house in winter, as the garden takes up much less time during the cold months - I know that sounds boring, but I enjoy it. I also like to get engrossed in a bit of computer gaming, or watching old movies.

I actually hate the sun, hate warm days, hate feeling hot and sticky so I will modify it with cooling fans in my house etc. I thoroughly enjoy brisk walks in the cold, love the rain and don’t drink hot chocolate. I love the dark mornings, I love how it is dark so early. It brings me joy. Nothing to do with being warm, it’s a myriad of reasons. Sure by saying what you are saying… surely people who love Summer live it BECAUSE it is warmer. People love what they love regardless.

See, while I don’t share your enjoyment I can understand enjoying it being dark out. There is something nice about it - or there would be if it wasn’t always cold. Maybe I need to move nearer to the equator…
Edit: I do love summer because it’s warmer. I prefer light natural fibres, they feel nicer on my skin. I prefer moving more slowly which I can do because of the warmth. It’s not trying to modify it. It allows me to live in a way I enjoy.

You don’t have to get why people love Winter. Won’t change anything, Winter will still be here in all her glory and there will be people out there enjoying it.

Cannot understand how people take such offence to a preference.

I need to move to a nice dark cave in Alaska 😂

I’m not taking offence at it @Icantbedoingwithit
I genuinely don't get it. I’m actually glad everyone isn’t as bloody miserable as I am from late November until (usually) May.

prefer moving more slowly which I cando because of the warmth. It’s not trying to modify it. It allows me to live in a way I enjoy

I understand that totally but Summer and sun and brightness really plays with my depression. I hate it so Winter also allows me to live in a way I enjoy.

Well think of me, miserable as fuck in July and August with the curtains drawn vampiring from the sun 😂