“Let it snow,” the classic holiday song plays on loop as if it’s trying to convince me that snow is something I should actually celebrate. “Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!” Yeah, sure, let it snow until I have to dig my car out for the Xth time…
December 21st, the first official day of winter, was just yesterday. Yet for some of us, it feels like that one guest who showed up at the door too early and now has us wondering when they’ll finally leave. Snow has been falling on and off for weeks, making me question if I’m living in a version of “Frozen,” minus the singing, plus the shoveling.
The thought of the long, cold months ahead is enough to make me question my life choices all over again. The big snowflakes floating outside my window might look cute, but in reality, they’re just a reminder of all the things I have to do to survive: pulling on layer after layer of clothing, shoveling snow, and so on…
So, let’s not pretend we’re all dancing through the snowflakes like something out of a Hallmark movie. Winter can be beautiful, sure, for a couple of hours, but it’s mostly extremely cold, long and dark. Oh, the dark!
“The weather outside is frightful, but the fire is so delightful.” Well, there is no fire in my house, and having to scrape ice off my windshield every time I attempt to step out of the house is not that delightful. This song is stuck in a perpetual state of denial.
Sure, I can cozy up under blankets with my cat purring happily beside me, but the excitement of the holidays fades quickly. After a while, the cold, the darkness, and being stuck indoors day after day start to make me feel a little stir-crazy.
But to end on a more positive note, staying indoors, slowing down, and embracing winter’s quieter moments can also be comforting. Do I sound ambivalent now?
So, let it snow, I guess… but not too much, okay?