We are well into autumn in Providence, Rhode Island. There is a crispness in the air and the trees are heavy with beautiful hues of red, orange and gold. For a girl from Arizona, these tell-tale signs of autumn are particularly inviting. I know, however, that this lovely time of year will not last, and in just a few weeks we will welcome winter. Winter will arrive long before the actual winter solstice. The thermometer will dip precipitously by early December. As I mentally prepare for this shift, I offer to you five reasons to love and five reasons to hate winter:
1. It can get so cold it literally hurts to breathe. I’ve tried to explain this phenomenon to my friends back home in Arizona who have known the pain of a searing sun, but have never had the pleasure of experiencing temperatures that dip so low they can take your breath away. It is almost indescribable, as is the equally torturous sensation of freezing nasal passages.
2. Dressing for winter weather is exhausting and depressing. Face it, there is hardly a way to look fashionable when winter strikes. Layer upon layer of clothing does not make for a particularly attractive showing. Visions of “A Christmas Story,” with Ralphie’s little bother Randy struggling to walk to school, come to mind. When I am home in Arizona, not only do I never have to check the weather forecast, but I can get out of the house in no time. Winter means a sweater or light jacket at most. In Providence, I dare not exit my dorm on a true winter day without a coat, hat, gloves, scarf, and boots.
3. The winter wreaks havoc on your skin, particularly your lips. Chapstick does the job only so well, so you find yourself picking at your peeling lips, only to make them burn. And if you’re like me, your skin is dry and cracking before winter barely gets under way. Though I am the daughter of a dermatologist and have an ample supply of creams and lotions, my hands literally bleed in the winter.
4. Where did the sun go? Statistically, on average there are 286 sunny days per year in Tucson, Arizona. That is a lot of sun, folks. In Providence, they tell me online that there is an average of 200 sunny days. I’m not convinced. The sun seems to disappear for most of the winter. A gloom sets in, as does Seasonal Affective Disorder. There is the occasional tease, when the sun will peak out momentarily, but this little taste of nirvana is fleeting.
5. Getting out of bed is a real struggle. There is nothing worse than your alarm going off on a morning when your bed is warm as toast but you know what awaits you when you leave it. Even getting into a shower is unappealing. You can crank the heat up as much as possible and relish the hot water, but you know it will only last so long.
Enough complaining, right? Here are the five best things about winter.
1. Winter weather means piping hot comfort food. In my little dorm kitchen, I will look forward this winter to those meals that make you warm on the inside, even though it is frigid outdoors. Chili, macaroni and cheese, and lots and lots of soup.
2. Goodbye to humidity. When it’s summer, or spring, or even autumn in Providence, Rhode Island, the humidity can be unbearable. This desert girl might sweat, but those beads of perspiration will evaporate as quick as you can say “hot!” The humidity makes it feel as if you are walking through a sauna, and when winter arrives and the humidity diminishes, it is certainly a plus.
3. Some personal grooming can take a hiatus. Showers, of course, will continue to be a daily task. But once winter is here and you know that you will be in pants, leggings, and boots for months, you can kiss goodbye to the dreaded leg shaving routine.
4. Sitting by a fire. Fireplaces are cozy and inviting. Even in Arizona, where the winter means temperatures might possibly dip to the forties at night, the chill in the air warrants lighting a fire. Back home, we enjoy our fire outdoors, where we sit in our backyard around a fire pit. There is nothing quite like the heat and light that emanates from a real fire.
5. The beauty of newly fallen snow. Watching the snow fall is exhilarating, and the spectacle that results is often breath-taking. I like to think of myself as an amateur photographer, and winter offers up some of the most remarkable photo opportunities.
