COURTNEY HUNDSETH
Opinions Writer

Particularly in the prairies where temperatures can reach extremes, nobody is ever satisfied with the turn of seasons.

When it’s summer, it’s too hot and we complain that we’d give anything for snow. When its winter, we complain to no end as our bones freeze, our joints creak and our chests tighten from the cold.

Winters in Saskatchewan seem to last all year. We never seem quite able to put our winter clothing away, always keeping our parkas at arm’s reach, just in case.

But let’s think about the logic of this for a second. Maybe our winters are so horrendously long because it’s the best season.

After all, what other season comes with such great excuses for sleeping in or playing hooky? “The roads were really bad” never fails.

What other season makes a person appreciate the little things like a warm vehicle, a steaming latte on the way to work or the steam wafting off the South Saskatchewan? Statistics show that people are more irritable during the hottest months. Hot weather equals a hot temperament. But who doesn’t love a good fire-side, mid-January cuddle?

I have only lived in the coldest of the cold. Living above the Arctic Circle in Norway — where one doesn’t see any form of sunlight for nearly four months and the snow drifts rise far above the doorway — one begins to appreciate and miss a good Canadian winter.

Returning home has made me love Saskatchewan winters — even if -40 C is a fairly standard winter’s day, even though the wind is so bitter it cracks your skin and even though frostbite is possible within five seconds of stepping outside.

We’ve recently received our first snowfall of the season. It makes me feel so proud to live in a country where the climate is capable of such wonder.

Fireplaces, hot cocoa with fluffy marshmallows, grandma’s wool socks, layers of blankets, snow-drift covered windows, board games and tobogganing. These are just a few of the irreplaceable, indescribably beautiful elements of winter.

Did you know that every snowflake is different? They each have their own unique characteristics; some are even coupled with a partner snowflake at its side. The next time it snows, hold out your mitten, let one fall onto your palm and admire its intricate detailing.

Fireplaces, hot cocoa with fluffy marshmallows, grandma’s wool socks, layers of blankets, snow-drift covered windows, board games and tobogganing. These are just a few of the irreplaceable, indescribably beautiful elements of winter.

Plus, the beginning of winter also means Christmas is near. And you know what that means — advent calendars and mandarins!

Oh, the smell of the crisp fresh air, the tingling of frost and making snow angels. Igloo-building, snow ball fights, ice-skating, skiing, snowboarding, snowshoeing and the gentle sound of snow crunching beneath your feet. That’s winter.

So next time there is a snow fall, instead of complaining and dragging your feet around the house anticipating that burst of wintry air as you whip open the door, grab your warmest coat, toque, mittens, a warm mug of tea, and head out into that delicious cold.

It’s a privilege that too many people in the world will never experience.

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image: Flickr