Baby, It's Cold Outside!

I was born and raised in New England, so frigid temperatures in January do not come as a surprise to me. The cold pretty much comes with the territory. But that doesn’t mean I like it. I can handle it, but I don’t like it.

I don’t like it when my car groans and protests when I try to start it in the morning, and when gripping the steering wheel feels like gripping an iceberg, and when the car seat is crispy and stiff from the cold.

I don’t like it when the walkway ices over, and the front door is frozen shut, and the roads are dotted with patches of treacherous black ice.

I don’t like it when the wind rattles the windows, and pulls the front door out of my hands, and howls down the chimney.

I don’t like it when my hands get stiff, and my feet ache from the cold, and my nose gets red and runny.

But there are things about the cold weather that I do love.

I love all the wonderful comfort foods we enjoy during the cold weather: chicken pot pie, and lasagna, and hot oatmeal, and chicken noodle soup, and shepherd’s pie, and grilled cheese sandwiches, and chili, and beef stew.

I love all the cozy clothes we snuggle in during the cold weather: fuzzy slippers, and heavy sweaters, and elegant boots, and stylish scarves, and flattering leggings, and sleek wool coats, and warm mittens, and jaunty hats.

I love the ways we keep warm during the cold weather: sitting by the fire, wrapping in a warm blanket, holding a steaming mug of coffee or tea, tucking a heating pad between the sheets, soaking in a warm scented tub.

I love the things we find to do to keep out of the cold weather: playing board games, reading books, telling stories, cooking together, doing art projects.

Hmm, maybe I don’t dislike the cold quite as much as I thought I did!