To absolutely hate winter?

[millefeuille1]

I don't mind the run up to Christmas as the lights and anticipation make it bearable, but January and February?? No! I have no energy and no mojo to make it better. I try so hard to make resolutions - read lots, go to the gym, declutter, plan new menus etc. but it never happens. All I want to do is hibernate.
I do love seeing snow fall (and then hate all the stress of driving in it), but mostly it is damp, dark, grey and cold.
It can't be right to hate a good chunk of the year? What is good about it?

[Bettercallsaul1]

No!

[Bettercallsaul1]

But I do trudge along in my trusty flat boots, falling over occasionally!

[onecurrantbun1]

I don't mind February as we have 5 close family members' birthdays. I think January is the worst because there is still SO long to wait until Spring. Also payday takes forever to roll round!

I am lucky in that I've never had to defrost the car - I'm a SAHM and DH walks to work, and nursery is only a 5 min walk for DD1.

[SirChenjin]

But, not sure I need to justify a preference for one season over another

I wasn't asking you to justify your preference - I was just asking you why you preferred it (out of curiosity) and whether the crappy things that winter brings affected you in the way it affects others on here, given that you love winter.

[Bunbaker]

"Love the days up to Christmas, log fires, seasonal cooking, hot tea, hot chocolate, walking in crisp air. Hot chocolate from Starbucks after walking downtown at night."

Nope. None of those do anything for me.

"Cold crisp winter days are great, as are warm and sunny summer ones, but they are both few and far between."

^^ This







^^ This is typical winter weather where I live.

Most people who love winter don't seem to have the reality of the winter that us haters have - grey, damp, cold, miserable days with very low light levels. I sometimes feel as if the greyness is pressing me down.

I agree about the wind Helena. I live near Woodhead Pass and we have had more days over the last few winters where it has been closed due to high winds than due to snow.

[SirChenjin]

Agree Bun - although we do have snow which very quickly causes travel and work chaos because our infrastructure just can't seem to cope with it.

[SirChenjin]

we also

[Moohoomeltdown]

Who really, actually, in real life, sits in front of an open fire snuggled in a tartan rug sipping at hot chocolate wearing fluffy booties feeling all smug and warm and cosy while the snow also falls down and lies crisply across the ground?

Are you sure you aren't huddled desperately over the top of a radiator with a hot water bottle trying to rub life back into your frost bitten fingers while your shivering core painfully quakes and aches?

I don't like wrapping my toddler up in hundreds of layers and peeling them all off once we've been out. He doesn't stand still and eventually my hall looks like a winter accessory wardrobe has spewed over my floor, hat here, a glove there, the other jammed in his sleeve, half choked by a scarf, jacket, fleece.

No I don't like winter

[Bettercallsaul1]

The winter weather honestly doesn't bother me at all as long as I'm properly dressed for it. I got a gorgeous long, wool coat for my birthday last winter which, with gloves and a scarf, is proof against any amount of cold, wind etc. It's like putting on an electric blanket before going out. I like the fact that we need different styles of clothing for the different seasons!

[Bunbaker]

"Who really, actually, in real life, sits in front of an open fire snuggled in a tartan rug sipping at hot chocolate wearing fluffy booties feeling all smug and warm and cosy while the snow also falls down and lies crisply across the ground?"

The last time I did this was about 20 years ago, and most of the heat from the fire went up the chimney. We were freezing and miserable.

The last time we had ridiculous amounts of snow that stayed put was 5 years ago. Once the novelty had worn off and DD was bored with sledging we just found it a PITA to factor in an extra 15 minutes or so to get suited and booted up to go outside and do the reverse when we came in.

I got fed up with having to deal with all the grit that had been walked into the house as well.

[Bettercallsaul1]

Obviously people come out with idealised versions of things that seldom match reality : however, there is enough resemblance to ring a bell with some of us. It's like still being able to enjoy Christmas despite the fact that it never lives up to the adverts. It's all about the contrasts - going home on a dark, cold night and switching on the lights and feeling the central heating warming up the house. As a pp said - having a lovely hot bubble bath, knowing it's freezing outside.

Also, winter does have it's own, unique beauty - bare trees with frost emphasising their silhouette, snow in the garden first thing in the morning, the Christmas lights everywhere.

[Bunbaker]

"Also, winter does have it's own, unique beauty - bare trees with frost emphasising their silhouette, snow in the garden first thing in the morning, the Christmas lights everywhere."

I agree, but as some of us have already pointed out umpteen times these images occur a handful of times amidst a plethora of grey, dark, damp days.

[Janeymoo50]

I agree, it took 15 mins to de-ice the car this morning, which means getting up at 05.10 instead of 05.30 to allow extra time. January is awful, such a long month and because we get paid earlier in December (sometimes 5 or 6 days) it can be a long time until the next payday. However, once January is over my spirits lift, you can see a difference by mid Feb as to the nights getting lighter too. Last year we booked to see a show at the end of January to give us something to look forward to.

[notafanofwinter]

I do sit in front of a roaring log burner with a fleecy blanket sipping hot chocolate. But that's only because the rest of the house is absolutely freezing.

I much prefer wingeing about being too hot.

[Bunbaker]

Wow, 15 minutes. Your car must have a rather inefficient windscreen heater. My windscreen was covered in frost so I wacked the windscreen demister on full and it took a couple of minutes.

[Bettercallsaul1]

Yes, BB - but the same can be said for summer! How many glorious, stereotypical summer days do we have in a typical British summer?! How many days do we actually spend, fondly watching our offspring building sand castles on the beach? But the point is - those are the days we remember - like the "special" ones in winter.

[Bunbaker]

Very few, but the longer days lift my spirits. I really, really can't bear the short daylight hours in winter, and I hate driving in the dark.

[Bettercallsaul1]

Yes, I realise that the lack of daylight really affects some people adversely. Maybe that's the main difference between people who can't stand winter and those of us who can see things to appreciate. It depends on our individual physiology.

[DeepBlueLake]

Can't you just scrape the ice off the windscreen? We use to do that when I was growing up when we didn't get up earlier enough.

I agree the UK winters can be utterly miserable sometimes, especially the rain, I just don't think the snow, ice etc is that bad but I did spend some of my childhood in the alps.

[DeepBlueLake]

I mean scrape the ice off with a cash flow card etc

[Daisysbear]

I think there's something cosy about November and December but I agree, January and February can be dreary, draining, depressing months. And I think the commercial world pushing Summer merchandise at us the minute Christmas is over makes it feel even worse, for some reason.

[thedevilinmyshoes]

Well it's a bright beautiful day today anyway and I am grateful for my sunglasses :)

[thedevilinmyshoes]

😎

[alltouchedout]

I hate it too. It's so bloody expensive- heating costs a fortune, winter boots and coats and so on all add up, lights have to be on so early in the evening... Drying laundry is a nightmare, it's dark so much more which is depressing, there are constant colds and flu viruses, ugh ugh ugh. I cannot wait til spring.

[patterkiller]

I'm also a hater, my health suffers as I just can't bring myself to move. I feel in a permanent fog. I start to get panicky in October and by this time in November I'm miserable.

I have an under active thyroid and raynards which honestly don't bother me for eight months but in the winter I really feel it. Roll on spring