My vendetta against winter:
We all know those few odd couple of warm days that occur in the dead of February. They make you put your trust in mother nature, and falsely hope that summer's a-coming. During these teases of warmth, it is easy to look back on all the hell that is the season of winter. After digging out your summer shorts and spending all of yesterday outside, get some blankets and cuddle up, take your sad, tearful self to the shower because-- I get it-- its just too cold (once again).
First of all, let's talk about how our skin gets in the winter. I'm talking about DRYNESS. You walk around in winter with ever drying skin, even though at all times you have at least two layers covering every part of your body. You spend your short days slowly watching the skin on your knuckles crack and bleed, if you're not careful. You have to reapply that deep-moisture lotion seven times a day, and twice after showers, and continually justify why you won't wear gloves more often (when in reality they're just a lot of work to get out of your pockets). You stress that your hair isn't getting conditioned enough, you probably own at least six different scents of lotion, and you constantly need to make extra sure that you apply moisturizer to your face--otherwise say goodbye to the baby-butt-soft skin you worked all of fall to perfect. It's quite the struggle.
Second of all, walking through a college campus in winter is just, unpleasant. It is especially difficult during the 20 degree days where it is literally too cold to justify getting out of bed and going to class. The mornings where you pray for a class cancellation rarely result in times of rejoice, when you actually DO get one. You already know that you'll need a knee length winter coat with a full fur hood, and you're best friends with your partners comfy sweatshirts (which you probably stole for a good reason, you were cold). Leggings and fuzzy socks are critical to any chance you have of enjoying your freezing cold treks to class and your late night study sessions. There's not a way to stay warm that doesn't involve piles of blankets, a fireplace or cuddles with a significant other or a pet, and I think we all understand that sometimes dragging yourself into a hot shower is the only way to warm up.
Lastly, there have been scientific studies that show the effects of sunlight on the overall mood of a person. It seems that prolonged periods of time without much bright light are connected to mood swings and negative feelings, often equated with Seasonal Affective Disorder. In short, this means that the short days of winter and lack of sunshine literally make people sad. If that doesn't suck, I don't know what does. I know at least for me, I felt much more content during the nice warm teases of summer in February than I did during the bundled up lengths of cold that we've been experiencing this far in winter. WebMD does a good job of explaining this scientific phenomenon, and you can read more about Seasonal Affective Disorder here.
In conclusion, I think I can speak for most when saying that we are tired of snow, cold fronts, and way-too-windy days. We, as experienced participants in winter, are ready for sunshine, warm air and summer vibes. I am sure that all snowmen young and old are ready for the end of something that wasn't even ever too pleasant. Dear summer, please come quicker. And as for you, dearest winter, please f*ck off.
