Cold Weather! :(

It is December in Iowa and it is getting really cold, really fast, which is expected. No matter how many times you go through an Iowa winter, you will never ever like the cold. Having to put on layers and layers and layers just to go outside and still feel the freezing air down to your bones. It gets dark at six now and you feel like its midnight when it’s really only seven. The gross weather that messes up plans, gets you sick, and is the most unforgiving season you will ever encounter. There are only a few people who truly like winter.

I will admit, there are a few things I do like about winter. When it first snows and the entire world is covered in a beautiful blanket of sparkly white. It seems so calm and peaceful. Going out and making a big snowman with your friends and family. I especially love cuddling up by a fire with some hot chocolate, watching Christmas movies.

That's the best part of winter, the holiday season. You get to see all of your family and friends and it’s the season of joy and happiness. Everyone is so full of cheer and you hear Christmas music all the time. Everybody is so excited for that one day where everyone is joyous and together. Children get presents, parents get to relax, and families celebrate. Christmas is number one best thing about the winter season.

But then you have to dig your car out and risk your life driving through the gray slush and ice and the magic is gone. I hate the feeling of cold air freezing you down to the bone. The days become shorter and the nights get longer. You wake up in the morning to go to school or work and it’s still dark outside.  I am always missing the grass during winter, being able to go outside and play soccer or just run in the sun.

Many people suffer a disorder during the winter called Seasonal Affective Disorder (yes, SAD). People who have this disorder experience depression during the winter season due to less exposure to the sun. They tend to fall into a depression because during the winter there is less sunlight and it darkens their mood. It may just sound like an excuse to be a hermit during the winter but it is a real thing. Many people have had to move to more southern places, where there is more sun year-round, just to combat the depression.

So don’t get me wrong, I love the holiday season and the joys of Christmas. When it comes to the cold weather though, mother-nature can just take that back and give me the sun.