Embrace Winter: Even If You Think You Hate It

By Barbara Pierce

 

Overview of Woods Valley in Westernville. The facility offers skiing, snowboarding and tubing. It features a newly renovated lodge with a fireplace, bar, restaurant and cafeteria.

It’s February. Winter is in full throttle with a lot of snow, ice and low temperatures.

Winter does get a bad rap. When you’re scraping the ice off your windshield or you’ve just slipped on the ice heading out the door, it can be hard to remember this — but winter is a state of mind.

“I refuse to let winter get on top of me. In fact, I positively enjoy it, at least until it outstays its welcome around the end of February,” said Tim Snaith online at healthline.com. “But up until then, I revel in the opportunity to hunker down with a pile of books, a new hobby and seasonal food and drink. Those long evenings are a great time to plan, take stock and adjust my priorities. While the summer is more about exploring the outside world, the winter is about restocking my mental larder.”

Jennifer Jones said on Facebook: “I look forward to the gray, quiet time for solitude, contemplation, reading, long conversations with friends. Colors are softer, sounds have more depth, the pace is gentler. Instead of resentment at the lack of sun, snuggle into the gray velvet quilt and make yourself a cup of tea.”

Experts suggest instead of dwelling on winter’s limitations, we lean into the long nights and extra time at home as those quotes above demonstrate. Time to read, maybe explore a new activity, enjoy a cup of hot chocolate; sometimes it just feels good to hold the cup! And there’s nothing cozier than sitting by a flickering fire or watching the snow fall outside your window.

During the summer, you probably don’t have time for baking cookies, crafting, painting, knitting, reading or playing video games. Winter can be your time of year to indulge in these activities. Winter can be a time when you enjoy those slower activities and enjoy things you don’t normally do.

Think about bringing plants inside to wait out the winter. Having something green in your home will bolster a feeling of well-being. If you’re not a plant person, consider other ways to add a pop of something colorful to your home. Maybe a new painting to liven up a wall, or a bold rug.

Consider spending more time outside to fight the winter blahs. Being active and experiencing nature are natural antidepressants. Sometimes, the winter looks a lot harsher than it actually is. So, experiment: See if you can override your expectations about how terrible it will be outside. Put on your warmest clothes and go outside; you might be surprised that it’s not as bad as you expected. And you’ll feel better for doing it.

 

Local Attractions

We live in a great area for winter fun things to do: snowshoeing, snowmobiling, ice skating, sleigh rides. Getting out and enjoying these winter fun things is the key to surviving — even thriving.

For example, there’s Woods Valley in Westernville.

“Woods Valley is the perfect place to spend your winter,” said Nuala Woods. “We offer skiing, snowboarding and tubing. We have a new rental fleet and offer lessons. For those who prefer to stay inside, we have a beautiful, newly renovated lodge with a fireplace, bar, restaurant and cafeteria. We have bands most days, nights.”

See www.woodsvalleyskiarea.com for more information.

The J.F. Kennedy Civic Arena is one of Rome’s most popular venues, used primarily for ice hockey and figure skating in the winter.

“We offer a special event in February,” said Ryan Hickey. On Thursday, Feb. 22, we team up with Center for Family Life and Recovery to offer the Winter Bash from 1-2:30 p.m. Admission is free with skate rentals just $3. Free hot cocoa and popcorn offered to all children in attendance. Crafts and activities will also be offered.

“Also, we’ll be offering a Valentine Skate on Feb. 14 at 7:30 p.m.” he added. “Free hot cocoa and popcorn for children. Admission is free; skate rentals just $3.”

A sleigh ride sounds like a fun way to get through the February doldrums.

“Lamplit Farm provides scenic sleigh rides at our farm near Chittenango Falls,” said owner Woody Woodworth. “We have Belgian and Percheron draft horses and a sleigh that can accommodate up to 10 adults on comfortable bench seats. We travel through fields and wooded areas with panoramic views of the Oneida Lake basin. Rides are approximately 40 minutes long.”

See Lamplit Farm on Facebook for details.

Keep in mind that complaining about the weather doesn’t help. Complaining only makes you feel worse. So, don’t winter-bash. Instead, talk about winter in positive terms. Instead of counting the days until spring, embrace winter. Discover all of winter’s unique opportunities — even on the darkest evenings, in fact especially then.