Every season has its qualities and its fall backs. Winter, the coldest season of the year, is no exception to the rule. Winter is caused by the axis of the Earth in that hemisphere being oriented away from the Sun. Different cultures define diverse dates as the start of winter, and some use a definition based on weather.
Embracing winter
A longing feeling comes over us in late fall, as the last remaining leaves drop, morning frosts cover the ground, and the sun sets earlier each day. Hot cider, hot coco and the warmth of a favorite old coat may be all you need to face the coming winter with good cheer, but for many people, fall melancholy deepens to winter depression.
What is it exactly? In many ways it is still a a mystery to scientists who study it. To begin, researchers agree that people who suffer from winter depression have one thing in common: they’re particularly sensitive to light, or lack thereof.
Many studies have shown that people with seasonal affective disorder feel better after exposure to bright light. It seems simple enough: In higher latitudes, winter days are shorter, so you get less exposure to sunlight.
In many regions, winter is associated with snow and freezing temperatures.
Winter Solstice, December 21st, is when the sun’s elevation with respect to the North or South Pole is at its most negative value. This means that this day will have the shortest day and the longest night.
Winter can be a real bummer sometimes. Cars get stuck in the snow and ice, shoveling can be tiring, and it can be unbearably cold. Even though winter is very beautiful, it can easily add stress to anyone’s life.
However, many people all over the world actually enjoy winter because of the beautiful snow, the food, the attitude, the change in colors.
Something whimsical to offer
When it snows it mostly covers everything. Winter has something whimsical to offer no matter where you are. For that reason, the cold weather brings people together. We long for warmth, love, and connection. The holidays deliver big family meals, endless gratitude, and it just seems like time moves a little bit slower than usual.
As the first winter breeze blows through the trees you can feel the magic in the air. People seem to be a bit nicer and nobody can complain about a little vacation time!
In the dead of winter, the sun doesn’t rise until late. By the time most people wake up they actually get to see a gorgeous pastel explosion. Then, we get a sky-sized swirl of reds, pinks and yellows that makes them awed to the point of tears to be living on such an impossibly beautiful planet.
For the food lovers this is a great step up! The reason is that the dictatorship of summer eating is over. No longer must we force ourselves along to barbecues and picnics to swat wasps and check bits of chicken for blood. We can eat hot pies, we’re allowed to eat hibernation food, gorging on carbs to the point of catatonia.
When the first snowflake hits the ground, everything transforms. Trains seize up. Schools close. Everybody gets a day off, even if they work from home. This winter season, as always, for the past 6 years since living in a winter destination, I will be open and accepting to new beginnings, learn to love more, and allow time to slow down and appreciate each and every moment.
