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?

[lovetoskimum]

Lol, agree with musemum, skiing the best tonic ever, love the fresh mountain air !!

Love winter and the cold but hate the rain, on it with mulled wine had some at the weekend, lovely stuff :)

[SirChenjin]

Not ski-ing in Scotland surely?!

[Dowser]

I was born in feb too and I really hate winter.

We've had two really cold days and D H is sick of me already.
The heating has been on since 7 am...just about constantly.

I'm going to Spain in January. Can't wait!

[Dowser]

I could quite easily get by with two seasons.

Warm and sunny and hot and sunny.

One wardrobe. Oh the joys!

One warm coat ....just in case.

No boots.

One cardigan in case it's not cold enough to wear the coat.

No heating. Longer lighter days. Maybe a bit of air con in the summer.

If I could move all my family , I'd be off like a shot!

[Bunbaker]

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

Not here it wasn't.

Dowser Spain isn't that warm in January. Average daily temperatures in Benidorm in January is 13 degrees - nothing to get excited about.

[SirChenjin]

Oh crikey Dowser - I hope you're not too disappointed

[thedevilinmyshoes]

sorry to hear you had no sun today, it does help my mood even if I'm still freezing

[millefeuille1]

I am making plans to "enjoy" January after all this! Back to work after the holiday is never good.... BUT I have already booked a theatre night with my son, and will do a spa eve for my daughter's b'day (I had forgotten how nice it is to sit in a hot tub surrounded by candles and fairy lights in midwinter). I may leave some indoor lights up after Xmas to make things a bit more cheery. Flowers are good, too. I will buy some new books to read and lighten up long evenings. Nothing I can do about the dreary weather though!

[Orangeanddemons]

Ugh I hate it too. I particularly hate February. I've had enough by the start of then. I also hate March, as whilst it can be sunny, it can also snow and be bloody freezing.

In March 2013, it was really deep snow round here, that didn't melt for a month. It started on the 1st March.

[notenidskitchen]

I agree that winter in the UK is different to winter in Canada because in the UK is is damp and grey and around 5 degrees so gorgeous frosty mornings are rare.

In Canada you get extremely cold days but teamed with blue skies and sunshine it is more bearable because everything twinkles. I remember last Christmas it was plus 5, loads of rain but and within 24 hours the temperature had dropped to minus 10 so everything was frozen solid - think an ice rink on the pavement. It was horrendous.

I have to admit they are pretty good at clearing the snow over here - they are 'at the ready' before it even starts falling!

[Branleuse]

spains often lovely in winter. I had a xmas near valencia about 10 years ago and it was jeans and tshirt weather. Maybe 18/19 degrees most days.

You wouldnt swim in the sea, but perfect for walking.

[lorelei9]

haven't read whole thread but great chance to moan

HATE winter. particularly hate people telling me to get out and about in the cold when the cold sets off my asthma so I have to have my nose and mouth well wrapped up just to do my normal walk to the station and for doing errands. and then my eyes are still freezing. Nasty nasty nasty horrible.

then the idiots who say "ooh you will feel better in the right clothing" - my clothes get warmer every year FFS! and I HATE having to wear layers or heavy clothes.

and my eczema kicks off

and everyone on public transport is coughing and sneezing

and if pavements are frosty and slippery I worry about falling over as I've broken bones more than once

cold also makes me feel where I broke the bones!

I fret about my folks as well

snow makes me swear like a trooper so I won't go there - if I never saw the stuff again I'd be happy.

I also prefer Jan and Feb because at least spring is closer and there's more daylight if it's not all grey gloom.

When I've retired and my folks are no longer here, I will not be spending winter in the UK!!

[notenidskitchen]

Not a fan, lorelei9?

[SirChenjin]

lorelei - I luffs you

[spankhurst]

I sort of agree, OP, but without the dark dankness of winter you wouldn't have the utter joy of Spring.

I'm no poetry buff, but 'A Nocturnal Upon St Lucy's Day, Being the Shortest Day' by John Donne always puts winter into perspective for me.

[thedevilinmyshoes]

ahhhhhh Valencia! I was there last week, it was very cold at night but up to mid twenties some afternoons - I liked it a lot

[Shakey15000]

Love winter

Being warm and snuggly indoors when it's freezing outside

No pressure that we have to be outside doing outdoorsy stuff

Onsies!

[MotherofFlagons]

I hate it. I feel miserable, tired all the time and have no energy, today I've got home from work and got into bed. I hate it being dark when I go to work and dark when I get home. It gets me down so much and it's got worse as I've got older. If I could go and live somewhere else I would do it like a shot.

Sorry, winter-hater checking in!

[Bunbaker]

Branleuse I think you were lucky with the weather. The normal maximum temperature in January is 15 degrees.

[LastAnni]

I moved from England to California in February. We left on a dark, drizzly, depressing morning, and arrived into glorious sunshine. I took off my winter coat and it has never been seen since.
There are many things I miss about Britain. The weather is NOT one of them. To the posters who commented that it would be boring just to have one long warm season all year round: it's not :)

[Bunbaker]

I wouldn't find it boring either LastAnni

[SirChenjin]

Me neither. I'd be as happy as a pig in shit if I lived in a warm climate all year round.

[MrsMook]

Can we bypass November after bonfire night straight to December, and scrap January, going to February when. There is Somersetshire of the days getting longer, and some hints of spring with crocuses and snowdrops.

I wouldn't get rid of winter completely, but there is way too much of it for me to appreciate.

There are some nice things like sunrise on the way to work and open views with the leaves off the trees. Dry, clear frosty weather is lovely, but there's just too much of the grey dank gloom, and spending extra eons wrestling young children into half appropriate clothing, and scraping ice of cars. Much easier in sandal season!

[Dowser]

I'll survive....benidorm in January!

I'll have plenty of warm clothes. Dry with sun shine will do.

Today I switched the heating on at 7-15 am and it's barely been off.

Went to my jewellery class in the freezing rain and it's only November!

[lorelei9]

Last, I remember being on a tour of California in January, we passed through some gardens and the guide said "obviously January is not the best time for flowers". We looked at numerous red and pink blooms, then up at the cloudless blue sky, then burst out laughing.

My cousin worked there for a while and he agreed that it's bollocks to say you can't appreciate Spring without winter. He said the year round sun changed his perspective on life, I know what he means. I thought seriously about trying to move to sunnier climes but finally felt unable to leave my folks.

The Chairman at work is famously scared of me because one day, when it was sunny and about 2 degrees out, he said "I love these cold bright days, don't you?" And got a response similar to my earlier post here.