Winter can be such a beautiful time of year. There are holiday lights, warm nights snuggled at home, and many get the chance to spend this time with family. However, when the thermometer reads single digits and snowflakes start descending, things get less than desirable. The first taste of winter has brought back all of the unpleasant recollections of what comes with the season. Yes, the first snowfall is a beautiful sight, but after you get your “first snow” picture on Instagram, winter can be over. Here are five reasons why winter can be just awful:
Sidewalk Slip ‘n Slides
Remember when you were 10 and Slip ‘n Slides were the coolest summer activity? Well, the last place anyone wants to slip ‘n slide is in the middle of winter on icy sidewalks. Falling on the ice and snow is one of the easiest ways to bruise your tailbone–and your ego. In my 19 winters, I have never seen anyone slip on the ice gracefully — it is never a pleasant experience. While I admit slipping on ice is one of the worst things about winter, I do love to watch videos of people falling on the ice.
The Ground is Wet and Your Skin is Dry
Even though everything around us seems to by snowy, slushy, or wet, winter makes skin so dry. It’s time to break out all of your moisturizers and lip balms because ‘tis the season for dry and cracked skin. It doesn’t help that most people are trying to fend off illness with frequent hand washings with unforgiving hand soap.
Everything is Wet and Gross
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While winter may make your skin dry, everything else is wet. Every building entrance has floors covered in brown slush, making the floors have a great squeaking noise. Almost all of the crosswalks have that same brown slush covering them — not pleasant to look at or walk over. Plus, as the snow falls your hair, hat, coat, backpack, etc. get wet enough to be annoying. Along with that, your shoes are drenched and track slush all through your apartment or dorm.
Winter is Time Consuming
Not only does it seem like we lose time to the sun setting so early, snow and ice also take daylight away from us. It takes a few extra minutes to safely get to class, not to mention the time required trying to drive in the snow and the ice. To even get on the road you have to warm up your car and scrape the windows in the freezing temperatures, and if you are really lucky you get to shovel snow and put down ice melt.
Everyone Around You is Sick
Winter, of course, brings about ice and snow, but it also brings illness–yay! People are coughing and sniffling everywhere, so hopefully, you have some vitamins or the like because the odds are not in your favor. I mean, imagine the hundreds and hundreds of people that have probably touched the doorknob before you. Yikes! Passing pathogens is a real theme of the season.
While the weather outside is truly frightful, there is a lot to look forward to with this season. Winter brings breaks, holidays, family, and more. So, remember to give yourself a few extra minutes to get your destination, be safe, and before you know it the winter blues will be in the rear-view mirror.