As a student attending a university in a place similar to the North Pole in terms of winter weather, I understand how an idiot feels after breaking through ice on a frozen pond while trying to show off for their friends. Preparing for winter is a process, and it all begins with the lovely season of fall.

When the first sign of fall arrives, which is usually when a yellow leaf floats gracefully to the ground only to be trampled by people who have no appreciation for beauty, people young and old flock to Starbucks to buy the beloved, yet alarmingly unhealthy, Pumpkin Spice Latte. It is finally the season to start over-buying heinous decorations for Halloween, and, if you’re a good Jew like me, attending, but sleeping during High Holidays at your local temple. You will hear girls asking their friend, “Can you take a picture of me while I lay in this pile of leaves?” and watch as they complain about how dirty they got while doing so. It is just chilly enough to wear your favorite pair of jeans that seem a little bit smaller on you since you wore them last year. Fall is truly a magical season, but it does signify one thing that many of us dread… Winter.

Ah, the first snowfall. When I was younger, I used to become overjoyed at the sight of blankets of snow in Big Bear, California. Now that I attend University of Colorado, Boulder, I have a slightly different feeling when I see that the forecast predicts snow. First, I think about all of the great pictures I can take while frolicking through six inches of snow, pretending to enjoy below-zero degree weather. Then, I think, “How will I survive this for six months of the year?” I have several tips for all of the California kids like me and for anyone who’s from a state where the sun shines for more than one-hundred days a year that decided to venture to a place not unlike Greenland for college:

1. Buy a waterproof, down, parka. The more expensive, the more it will protect you from freezing to death. Trust me, the expense is worth it.

2. Find that thick, wool scarf that your grandmother knit for your birthday in 2007 and wear it no matter how ugly it is. There is no such thing as fashion in the winter unless you live in NYC.

3. Sorel boots and gloves fit for a lumberjack are your best friends.

4. Do not go outside unless you absolutely have to… Make like a bear and hibernate; it’s warm and you have a great excuse to eat a lot.

5. Be aware that you will slip on ice at least once a day and it will hurt more than it did when you fell at the ice skating rink at your seventh birthday party.

But most of all…

6. Try to enjoy winter.

It is a time when you and your friends may get snowed into your house and play Cards Against Humanity for hours while drinking Peppermint Schnapps and hot chocolate. It’s also the holiday season so get in the spirit, build a snowman, and complain to the Road Maintenance Division when they don’t adequately shovel the roads or sidewalks after a blizzard.