him & her XI: let it snow

H E R 

When you’re from a warm climate, winter seems like a beautiful fantasy. I grew up in South Carolina, where the temperature would never hang out below 35. Winter was the nice part of year, when we could finally wear long sleeves and turn off the air-conditioning without having to worry about heat mixed with humidity. But real winter—the kind I usually only saw in the movies—seemed magical, snow ball fights with your friends and spending hours making snow angels.

For people who grew up in warm climates, the shift to a place with a real winter—the kind of winter that can kill you in too many ways—is a harrowing spiritual journey, proceeding through a number of distinct emotional stages. 

EXCITEMENT:  At first, the prospect of moving to a cold climate is terribly exciting. You think, “It’ll be so different! I’ll have a white Christmas! I get to wear pea coats! I’ll get to snuggle by the fire! And buy cute hats and scarves!" (Really you're just thinking about all the clothes you can buy.)

DREAD:  As you’re packing all of your stuff, dreaming of the dreamy Instagram pictures you are going to take, things start to worry you. People start talking to you about temperatures of 20 below zero—temperatures you cannot even fathom—and they tell you about that time their eyelashes froze. You start to second guess your life choices.

DENIAL:  It's October, and it's getting pretty brisk outside. You reason with yourself, "Maybe if I keep wearing my fall clothes, winter will never come." But it does and it's terrible. It's arrival becomes apparent when you're walking home in a light sweater deciding whether or not you should just lie down in the street and give up.

ANGER:  You live in winter apocalypse, and you are pissed. 

Also, the plan for adorable outerwear is not working out. Basic survival requires the puffiest, warmest, least-flattering parka known to man. You wear a ski mask, not only to keep warm, but to make sure no one recognizes you.

DEPRESSION:  You think, “Fine, I’ll just stay inside for the next 5 months, talking to no one and doing nothing.” You grab a bowl of cereal, pull up Netflix on your laptop, and settle in for hibernation.

ACCEPTANCE:  You finally accept that Earth has entered a new ice age. You start making an effort to get outside to soak up whatever sunlight the world has left. You discover that, when you’re properly bundled up, winter activities like sledding and snow tubing are actually really fun.

H I M

I grew up in Colorado and have dealt with snow my whole life. As a kid, snow was the best. I loved playing in it, loved snow days and love the peace that came with a nice snow fall. As I got older snow was a way for me and my friends to enjoy our teenage years. Weekends were spent in the mountains snowboarding and skiing. There was always a good time to be had when it came to snow.

Now that I am a little older and do not have as much time to spend in the snow, I find myself thinking it is more of a burden than fun. Don’t get me wrong, I love playing in it, I just don’t like dealing with it. Shoveling snow, navigating the icy streets and dealing with bad drivers is not as fun as you may think.

But I want to let you know that snow and the winter can be conquered. So many people in Idaho that are not from here tend to complain about the snow and the cold, but you can make this winter way more fun than you may expect. You don’t have to resort to movie marathons and moping around. 

Here are some things I do to stay positive and healthy during the cold winter months:

Take Vitamin C on a regular basis. The key to not getting sick is giving your body the vitamins it needs to stay healthy. I take some form of vitamin c on a daily basis. Whether it’s Airborne, Emergen-C or some other form of Vitamins, take them! It can’t hurt.

Exercise regularly. I think that maintaining a healthy winter involves exercise and a lot of water. Flush your system, stay fit and give your body something to be happy about. It is easy to get lazy with cold weather but do you best to stay active.

Get good sleep! I think that giving your body the right amount of sleep makes all the difference in being able to stay healthy especially when it’s cold. Give your body the time it needs to re-energize and besides sleeping is awesome.

Stay positive. The best thing you can do is stay positive when the cold weather comes. It is easy to get annoyed, tired and cranky but it’s also easy to stay positive. Find fun things to do, go out even if it is cold and socialize. This will keep you mentally healthy and physically healthy.

Look to this upcoming winter with confidence. There will be those times where all you do is spend 10 hours straight on Netflix and that is okay. Just try to get out and have a good time this winter season!