Winter, where are you going? I can’t post my lengthy monologue to winter on instagram ha ha, I never want to be one of those boring people that posts a book in their caption. But I have really strong feelings about winter, and honestly, I physically mourn it when it starts to go.
I’ve never been a spring person, even when I was little Easter was my least favorite holiday. I think maybe it was because of growing up in the South, it’s very hot there most of year. I remember when I was little, my mom would put us to bed when it was still light out (which, is totally reasonable of course, 8 pm is a good bedtime for 5 year-olds) but it was so depressing to me. So I kind of hate the long days here too (I know, I know, New Englanders think I’m crazy!). I just don’t enjoy a lot of light and heat!
But I truly do love the deep, dark days of winter. I start getting excited in November, when the time has changed and there’s always a chance of snow in the forecast. I switch out my linens to my heavy blankets, and I get out my LL Bean Wicked Plush hooded robe (honestly, I could live in that robe year ’round ha ha, worth every penny!). I love all of the clothes of winter, I have my indoor Uggs and my outdoor Uggs (and yes I have snow boots and mud boots I know you don’t wear Uggs in a snowstorm), but they’re just so comfortable, I also would gladly live in those year ’round. I love wool sweaters and hats and layers. They’re also quite forgiving ha ha. But I love to be bundled up in soft, cozy clothes.
I also love how life slows down in winter. Vermonters do way less socializing, it seems like no one wants to go out after 4:30 pm and that is fine by me. I think the Scandinavians call it hygge (appropriate because Vermont is the Scandinavia of the United States in my humble opinion!), but you just sort of hunker down and stay inside a lot. Which I love, I’m an introvert at heart, believe it or not, and I am totally fine bingeing on Britbox and cooking at home.
I love all the food of winter, too. Hearty soups and pies, I do love to eat, and I love to make hot meals that stick to you through the cold nights. I have way more winter recipes than summer ones. I feel bad when I eat heavy food and snuggle on the couch in summer, it just doesn’t feel right to me. I really do enjoy a quiet life, I usually get in bed (now of my own accord ha ha!) at 8 pm and read for a few hours. Once again, I feel bad and lazy if I do this in summer, like I should be outside.
I love the drama of winter weather too. If you follow my instagram, you know how much I love to take photos in the snow, and I love to watch the weather every night and get excited for our snowstorms. The anticipation leading up to a good storm, waking up in the morning with the world totally transformed to a winter wonderland, there’s nothing like it. There’s no drama in summer weather, it’s either sunny or rainy. And rain is the worst! At least in snow they plow the roads and you can get out and about, with rain, Vermont may be the most boring place on earth: no hiking, no golf, no kayaking, no skiing, no nothing! I truly look forward to the weather forecast every night in winter, just to see what’s coming.
To me, New England shines in winter. Around every corner there are Christmas card scenes. The spectacular beauty of our Green Mountains is breathtaking. I love to take a drive early in the morning or at dusk and see all of the cozy lamps and candles burning in windows (Vermonters do love their electric window candles!) and think of all of my neighbors snuggled up at home. I love the smells of winter, pine and cinnamon and vanilla.
I also never get cold. I mean, I’m cold all the time and I carry my tiny space heater from room to room ha ha, but I’m just never miserably cold outside. I love to be outdoors in winter! Sometimes I sweep out the garage in the morning just because I like how refreshing it is to be out in the bracing wind. I hate to be hot and I hate to sweat! And I hate humidity! Summer weather just doesn’t agree with me. It makes me irritable and sticky (never a good combo, right?!)
Probably the number one reason I love winter so much is Nordic skiing. We have a wonderful Nordic center about 20 minutes from my house with over 40km of trails, Prospect Mountain. I am an avid Nordic skier. I wish I had started as a kid like they do here because it’s definitely a technique sport that takes years to really perfect, but what I lack in skill I sure do make up for in endurance. I discovered skate skiing early on, I think when people think about cross-country skiing they envision classic skiing where you sort of slowly move in the tracks. Skating is just that, it’s really the movement of ice skating but on skis, which are much thinner than classic xc skis. And it’s fast, it’s really like running on skis more than anything else, good skate skiers can get up 20 or 25 mph which is pretty fast on a flat, I know you go much faster in alpine, but imagine running 25 mph. When you are skating, you feel like you’re flying across the snow. It’s just, amazing. I go every day for the most part, I love to go first thing in the morning, when the world is still quiet and there’s hardly anyone there. Imagine flying across snow in a solitary winter wonderland in the forest and you’ll have an idea of what it’s like. I have a serious emotional attachment to skating, and because the season is so short (3 full months at best), it is really, really hard to let go of. I get depressed for a few weeks after all the snow is gone. I’ve thought about dry land training (rollerskiing) ha ha but I think I might be too old for all that. And, there’s no snow which is part of the whole thing. I miss skiing all summer long.
If you have difficulty with winter, I highly, highly recommend adopting a winter sport. Trust me, getting outside and having fun is the key to getting through a New England winter. I love it so much I start getting nervous in February that it’s going to end. I really think it’s because I make a point to exercise outside every day.
There are lots of things to love about summer in Vermont. I actually really love golf and I play almost every day, I play with my husband and it’s such a fun activity we can do together. And you see a lot more of your friends in summer, and there’s all kinds of music and cultural events and festivals to go to. We love to go to the horse races in Saratoga, and if it gets too hot we can head to Canada for a break. We host a lot of barbecues and love to drive around Vermont and see different things. So I know I’ll get into it, it just takes awhile.
I often feel like I’m all alone in my winter obsession but if you’re out there and you feel me, know you’re not alone! We winter lovers will make it through, and we’ll be happy and enjoy summer, right?! And you wouldn’t appreciate winter if you didn’t have the other seasons too, right?
I’m grateful for it all, and feel so lucky to experience all of it here in beautiful Vermont!
