…to get my mind off the fact that I hate winter.
Here’s a glass-half-full approach to what I normally call “the four-month depression.”
1. Snow.
If we ever get any, that is. I absolutely love snow. I think everyone does. Except maybe for those regions that get dumped on regularly with avalanches of white (shoutout to my Canada/Syracuse/Boston fam). A good snowfall is such a rarity in Jersey that it always seems special to me. The way it covers everything in a clean, reflective blanket, making the whole world seem brighter. Sometimes letting a few spots of earth peek through, painting the scenery like a Bev Doolittle piece. Not to mention, it provides for certain fun-filled activities that can only be done in the snow, such as…
2. Sledding.
I’ve never had a bad time sledding. Even when my brother and I were younger and used to hurt ourselves incessantly while hosting “Full-Contact Sledding” at our house (it was the best hill in our neighborhood). We would make snow ramps, and usually descend the hill standing up on the sleds as if they were snowboards with no footing. Falling was inevitable as we attempted skateboard tricks on busted old pieces of plastic, ultimately smashing our bodies into the snow and rolling the rest of the way down the hill in tumultuous clumps of adrenaline.
3. Unlimited refrigerator space.
One of my favorite selling points of winter is the fact that I can store my beer outside and keep it even colder than the fridge would. This frees up much-needed space in the icebox for my other favorite thing: food. Which, by the way, it is completely acceptable to eat more of during the winter, as it provides for insulation during the hibernating months.
4. The holiday feast.
Speaking of food…there are some remarkable holiday feasts in my family around the winter holidays. Being the son of a chef definitely has its perks, especially during Christmastime. Gift-giving stress aside, Christmas brings all of my local family to my parents’ house for a gluttonous gauntlet of appetizers, roast beast, famous holiday soup, fine wines and delicious desserts fit for a king. Nobody even has room for my grandmother’s rum cake by the time we’ve polished off the main course. But there’s always ample room in the giant outdoor fridge to store the leftovers.
5. New Year’s.
This is one of my favorite holidays, simply because there are no gifts, no obligations, and no need to “do” anything except be with the people you love through those highly-anticipated ten seconds that lead an entire timezone into the new year. In essence, it’s just another reason to throw a party. But to me, it’s a special moment–albeit a short one–in which millions of people are all on the same page, thinking about the same thing and celebrating another year of being alive. Plus, the following day marks the annual Turducken that my dad prepares as a recent New Year’s Day tradition. For those of you who aren’t familiar with the Turducken…it’s a chicken inside of a duck inside of a turkey, stuffed snugly into one hedonistic hybrid like oversized edible Russian dolls. Mmmm…
6. No bugs.
You probably have to live in the woods to understand this one. I am recently starting to appreciate the frigid weather for its built-in bug-repelling quality. After spending a whole summer and autumn with arthropodal encounters of all kinds–from chiggers to grasshoppers to some species I couldn’t even identify–it’s nice to wake up without fearing that I’ll have to pull a deer tick out of my thigh. Again.
7. Wings season.
As a lifelong lacrosse player and fan, I always enjoy going to Philadelphia Wings games in the winter. Nothing like an indoor version of my favorite outdoor sport, with twice the action and violence packed into half the astro turf. And the Wings’ PR team really knows how to throw a party. Every game comes equipped with such attractions as a live cover band, Hooters waitresses riding a mechanical bull, a cheesesteak cannon that launches Geno’s sandwiches into the crowd, and countless promotions to keep even the non-fan entertained. That reminds me…I should buy season tickets.
Well, that does it for me. What do YOU like about winter?
