I. Love. Winter. I truly believe deep under my down parka coat, oversized scarf and thick knitted turtleneck that it’s the greatest season of them all. During the entirety of summer I sit wishing it were cold, that the trees were coated in ice and that window mannequins were sporting sweaters. Having lived the entirety of my life in the Midwest, I know the annoyance (and sometimes nightmare) that comes with driving in the snow, shoveling driveways, power outages because of storms, etc. Yet, I’m still the person walking down the sidewalk, eating snow (yes, I’m 22 and I still eat the top of freshly fallen snow), smiling and chasing snowflakes with my tongue. I’m well aware that I’m dubbed as “crazy,” especially now as a Chicagoan and someone who travels via CTA daily. It’s dark, it’s cold, and you slowly consume so much comfort food that you hope bikini season will never arrive- I get it! But living in the one of the greatest cities in the world, there are ways to survive and love a Chicago winter:
- Invest In A Parka Jacket– I spent my first Chicago winter hopping around in a pea coat and it was rough. I might have been smiling, but my body was not feeling it, or anything at all. The day I invested in a huge parka (I’m a fan of Eddie Bauer) was the day my life changed. Standing on the platform as 3 Express trains shot by, walking from point A to point B in below freezing temps and a wonderful 20+ MPH wind is a completely different experience when you have the proper jacket. There’s no such thing as bad weather, just a bad attire.
- Learn To Skate– My boyfriend has managed to make it through almost 28 years without ever learning to skate- and he grew up in Michigan. I love skating, so naturally he now has a pair of skates and I’ve taught a grown man new tricks. So guess what Chicagoans are downtown at the Maggie Daley Ribbon Rink tearing up ice with the tourists and loving it? If you can’t let yourself enjoy amenities that people travel to this city for, then you’re truly missing out. Skip the lines, buy skates, and your feet and patience will thank you.
- Go With The Flow– Hit someone with a snowball! Seriously, if you let things slip away that used to excited you for winter or a big snow, you’re going to be Mr. Scrooge and no one will invite you to build snow forts. Don’t just look at snow as something that gets in your way or another chore, embrace it and learn to love it while it’s here, because sooner than later you’re going to be burning in the sun, have sand in your bikini bottom, and be Mr. Scrooge again and wish for snow. Just learn to go with it.
- Allot For Travel Time– I cannot tell you how many times I’ve met with someone that was late because of the snow and out of breath, or received the panicked texted from a friend that they’re going to be late to an important meeting due to delays. It’s winter, it’s icy, the snow gets in the way and there’s absolutely no reason to expect any different. When you start to work delay time into your schedule daily, I promise your stress level will be manageable. It stinks, but hey, welcome to Chicago.
- Find What Makes Your Winter– I love skating and skiing, mulled wine and warm cocktails are what warms the heart and soul and homemade soups are the greatest things in the world- Just finding a few things that you can only do in the winter and truly look forward to weekly or daily really makes the difference after a cold, dark day. The Lincoln Park Festival of Lights, holiday window displays, the beautiful ice formations Lake Michigan makes when it freezes, etc.- there are so many amazing things this city offers in winter. Finding a silver lining in situations is the secret to life, so you can stop looking now.
- Just Laugh– I’ve found the people who take themselves (and the weather) too seriously don’t know how to enjoy themselves, and definitely don’t know how to laugh at themselves once they hit that lovely patch of black ice. Seriously, we’ve all done it, it hurts, your butt’s wet and it sucks. It’s funny though and it’s a good analogy for life. It’s one thing to tell someone to pick themselves back up and keep going, but if you can’t do it when you literally fall flat on your butt and learn how to make a funny story out of it, at least there’s mulled wine waiting for you at home…
