Winter officially arrives today at 21:19 Mountain Standard Time, which translates to 9:19 p.m. for you civilian types. The Winter Solstice is my 4th favorite day of the winter season, behind Christmas, the last day of winter and Groundhog Day. Why is the winter solstice in my top 5 days of winter you might ask? Because today means that we are halfway through the darkest, dreariest time of the year. While it’s true that the coldest days of winter yet ahead, the days themselves slowly grow longer and brighter. Cold I can handle. It’s the dark and lifeless that I dislike.
I’ve made no secret of my disdain for winter. Phil Connors sums up my attitude in this scene from Groundhog Day:
Years ago, I worked with a guy who absolutely loved winter. It was probably his favorite season. I would imagine the fact he was a die-hard snowboarder had something to do with his positive outlook. He would get to the slopes on opening day, and snow board several times a month right up until the final run closed in the spring.
I, on the other hand, never developed a passion for any wintertime sport. My forays into downhill and cross-country skiing left me cold, both figuratively and literally. I never learned to skate, which ruled out hockey. I suppose I could try fat-tire bicycling, but I’m not a fan of cycling during the winter here in town, so I can’t imagine I would enjoy cycling in deep snow in the mountains all that much either. I haven’t tried snowshoeing yet. Perhaps I should add that to my bucket list.
Many who, like me, suffer from the winter blues and/or SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder) find it difficult to explain what this time of year does to us to people who don’t feel like we do. It’s not a case of just not liking winter. Lots of people dislike winter. Having to scrape frosted windshields, shoveling snow, wet and cold feet, icy roads, colds and other illnesses, and all the other unpleasantness of the season – these are inconveniences.
Winter blues, on the other hand, are a state of mental discomfort. For me, the blues cause me to be more fatigued than usual, as well as heightened anxiety, ennui, loss of interest in things that usually bring me joy and increased irritability. I find that my winter blues don’t kick in until right after the New Year, and usually starts to ease off in late March or early April.
SAD (which I’ve never officially been diagnosed with but I suspect I’ve dealt with it in the past) is full on depression (which I have dealt with before) that feels very similar to the blues but much worse. The symptoms of SAD usually include the symptoms above but are much stronger. SAD can also cause feelings of hopelessness and/or profound guilt. For most sufferers, SAD tends to start in early autumn and can in some cases stick around until late spring.
Not quite the same as being frustrated that you have to shovel the sidewalk again, is it?
Ok, this post has gotten a lot heavier than I intended when I started writing it. Let’s move on to more positive climes. Before I do, however, I would like to point out that people have been dealing with the winter blues for quite a while. Check out the opening lines of the poem Snow-Bound: A Winter Idyl, published in 1866, below:
The sun that brief December day
John Greenleaf Whittier
Rose cheerless over hills of gray,
And, darkly circled, gave at noon
A sadder light than waning moon.
Slow tracing down the thickening sky
Its mute and ominous prophecy,
A portent seeming less than threat,
It sank from sight before it set.
A chill no coat, however stout,
Of homespun stuff could quite shut out,
A hard, dull bitterness of cold,
That checked, mid-vein, the circling race
Of life-blood in the sharpened face,
The coming of the snow-storm told…
Not exactly a paean to winter. If you’re interested in reading the rest of the poem you can find it here (beware, it’s a looonng poem) – https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/45490/snow-bound-a-winter-idyl
It’s not just the shorter days and the weaker sunlight that brings on my blues. The stark and barren landscape bothers me as well. I find that I yearn for the green of the garden. I long to hear the sounds of the wind rustling the leaves as it passes through the trees. I hunger for the smells of blooming plants. I miss the signs of life!
Compare and contrast these pictures from the back garden. One was taken last week and the other was taken just 3 short months ago. At this time of year it’s just so easy to forget just how lush and vibrant the world was less than 90 days in the past.
The winter blues are not a new condition for me. I found this old newspaper comic strip while cleaning out some boxes a couple of weeks ago. I’m not even sure if “Pluggers” is still being published. I remember cutting this strip out because it hit home for me. Even today, many seed and plant catalogs start appearing in the mailbox a shortly after the New Year has begun. They are for me harbingers of Spring’s longed for arrival.
As you can see, it is so aged the paper has faded to a yellow-brown. I think this particular strip is from 2005. Even a decade and a half ago, it was obvious I was anxiously longing for the return of sunnier days.
With all that being said, I have been thinking of new ways to help manage my winter blues. This year I have decided to add another weapon to my arsenal to help me in my annual battle with the winter blues (click here to see what other weapons I utilize): https://www.mrvintageman.com/happy-winter-solstice/). To wit, I am actually going to look for and find some of the beauty of winter. From time to time I’ll take my ancient digital camera with my on walks or into the yard to look for “pretty stuff”, much like I do during the warmer months while gardening or bicycling.
I figure if I can find a positive way to embrace the season, I won’t dread and dislike it as much as I have in the past. I only have to keep my spirits up for a mere 90 days. For the Spring Equinox is on March 20th next year.
In the meantime, enjoy these photos I took from my backyard recently.
How about you? Do you enjoy winter, or is it a season to be endured?
