Bleak Midwinter

I am thriving in this cold, dark season.  I love midwinter.  I can list a myriad of reasons why I do well in this seasonal atmosphere, but that might make all you sun- and heat-lovers more depressed and Seasonally-Affected than you already are.

Ok, Ok, here are just a few reasons I like the bleak midwinter:

Snow!  It is such fun to be out in the snow.  I don my snowsuit and boots and hat and mittens, and there's such fun to be had exploring nature.  Tracks and trails and birds in flight...

 Silence!  Snow is an awesome noise insulator.  All is calm.  All is bright.

Ice is pretty.  We were in Oklahoma this week, and let me tell you, Oklahoma does ice storms better than most.  Granted, the ice storms are a major headache to Oklahoma residents, and are dangerous, and Okies could finish this sentence with more and more negative descriptions, but let me just say:  Ice is pretty.

It's dark outside!  Even in daylight, the skies are most often grey and cloudy.  I'm just fine and dandy with that.  I don't mind the dark.  Never have, even when living in Michigan with its late, LATE sunrises, and its early, EARLY sunsets.  (Hey: payback time in July, when it's the converse, OK?)  For me, dark winter days and evenings signify soups and art projects...NOT watermelon and long, hot bike rides.

Should I mention, "No bugs"?

Ok, here's one of my all-time, tippy-top favorite Christmas Carols.  Yes, it discusses snow and ice and frost and bleakness.  But the song ends quite happily.  The lyrics were written by Christina Rossetti, and the music, by Gustav Holst - who also wrote The Planets - also a favorite of mine.

In the Bleak Midwinter