Say ‘Yes’ to Winter & Make it Your Best Winter Ever

Midwest winters mean snow drifts, bone-chilling wind, icy roads, sore backs from shoveling, and so many hours of darkness. They also mean sledding, snowball fights, hot cocoa, pink cheeks, icicles sparkling in the sunshine, and walking in a gorgeous snow globe. It’s this latter part of winter that I love the most, but I find ways to enjoy the hard parts as well. I simply love the energy, the challenge, the helping-your-neighbor of it all of the winter season.

 

There aren’t many of my kind, the rare winter-loving kind, in these parts. It’s always seemed odd to me. Winter lasts at least five months. Nearly half the year. Why not try to make the most of it instead of spending the winter months miserable, cranky and complaining about the weather?

 

So how can you say “Yes!” to winter? Look for the wonder in winter and plan a visit to your winter wonderland. Last winter I had the opportunity to plan a visit for our family from Mexico to my home state, Wisconsin…in January, the dead on winter. They’d never been in cold temperatures, seen or felt snow, ice skated, or been sledding. We introduced them to all things Wisconsin- cheese, booyah, fish fries, beer, football, and of course, SNOW. What did they enjoy most? Snow! Playing, walking, sledding, driving, doing anything in the snow. When they walked out the door into falling snow for the first time their faces broke into smiles, they ran, jumped, twirled in the snow, faces turned up, tongues out catching snowflakes on their tongues. To them it was magical. They proclaimed joyfully, “It’s like being in the movies!”

 

Imagine you need to plan such a visit for someone unfamiliar with winter and snow, but make it a visit for yourself. See your state or city through a visitor’s eyes. Can you imagine how cool and at times, unusual it would be to see their version of winter that we take for granted?

• Stepping into a warm and cozy house to warm up with hot chocolate and marshmallows when you’re truly cold
• Sledding at local parks, whooshing down the hill on a snow tube
• Giant snow plows going about their business clearing the roads of snow, leaving a trail of salt behind them
• Fans freezing their buns off in Lambeau Field with 80,000 other crazy people cheering on a football team wearing short pants and sleeves
• Seeing a frozen waterfall for the first time
• Seeing your breath for the first time
• Snow sparkling in the sunlight
• Throwing snowballs at a friend
• Horse-drawn sleigh rides
• Gorgeous scarves and chic winter boots
• Steam coming off a mug of coffee or hot chocolate
• People ice fishing and ice shanties
• Making a snow fort
• Spotting strange winter machines like snowmobiles and snowblowers

 

These kinds of things make up the charm of a Midwest Winter. . Making snow angels. Roasting marshmallows over a roaring fire surrounded by snow. Ice shoves and frozen waves. Nighttime snowshoe adventures. Sliding on ice…for fun. The kind of winter that we can forget is the stuff of movies.

 

Imagine being able to give someone this gift. You might just get a glimmer of the magic I choose to see every winter day. Can you see a glimpse of the magic now? See it like children do when they wake up to a snow day and absolutely can not get their snow-pants on fast enough.

I challenge you to spend one winter day saying “Yes!” to winter. Can you do it? Can you find the beauty and wonder in a Midwest Winter? Try it for a day. I’m willing to bet you’ll enjoy it a little and maybe even find a little Midwest Winter Magic while you’re at it.