I used to remember coming to Florida on holiday breaks in elementary school and being so excited to soak up some warm sun. As a graduate student attending a Florida school, I am so thankful for every 80-degree day on my weather app this week.
As a northerner though, I’ve noticed there are so many interesting things when “cold” weather comes around in Florida… “cold” weather is defined here for true Floridians as any temperature below 60 degrees. For northerners that’s summer, but down here… grab your winter coat.
Maybe that’s a good place to start. Attire. What is happening people? Simply because it’s cold does not mean that you have to resort to sweatpants and four hoodies. I’m slightly convinced all the long sleeves and hoodies are because everyone is turning paler as autumn concludes. You can always tell someone is visiting from the north for parent’s weekend because they only packed shorts and are whiter than ghosts. If your parent is from Florida, they have sweaters on sweaters and brought you more too.
Another thing I’ve noticed is that when it’s even slightly chilly out, all of a sudden everyone’s iced orders at the coffee shops turn to hot ones. I’m not complaining here though, I love hot peppermint mochas.
As a northerner though, you feel obligated to let these Floridians know this isn’t cold weather. You pull up your hometown weather report to show that in fact it’s negative and snowing where you’re from. Count your blessings you “cold” Floridian.
Tagging onto your rant about how it’s not that cold, you share how awful it is to have to get up early to shovel your driveway in the freezing dark hours before school or work. You also explain how you have to brush snow off your car and strategically open your door to get your snow scraper so snow doesn’t fall right into your seat instead. Snow is pretty until it’s sitting on your seat.
Rant over, you return to sipping your hot chocolate in flip flops.
Fair warning to all the weathered northerners out there though- Florida weather plays tricks. After you brought all of your sweaters home for the holiday break joking and wondering why you even brought them to Florida in the first place, you will return to a bone chilling two weeks in Florida in January. This is winter, and now you’re stuck without a coat. This was me my freshmen year, so blind-sighted that it could actually get cold. I wore norts to my finals less than a month ago?! What is this?!
I’m not the only one who has been tricked by the random actual chilly weeks of Florida. I met a guy in the elevator with no coats because he left them all home, and now his mom was mailing his jackets. If he was my size, I would’ve shared. Northerners have to look out for each other. Stay strong, stay warm. “Winter is coming” …kind of.
