Dear Editor,
The Beauty of Winter Shouldn’t Be Lost on Us.
I can’t count how many times each day that I hear or read on Facebook that everyone “hates winter” or that they are “so over it.”
Punxsutawney Phil is right: there are still six more weeks of winter, whether it is mild or wild. So I offer this, the next time you decide that you “hate winter” think about how many times in your life it has brought you closer to someone.
Winter has always been my favorite season. All of my best memories reside there. As children, we always complained about waking up for school in the warm weather, but in the winter we would wake up extra early, just to wait for the news that school was cancelled.
When we finally got through celebrating, we would discuss the day’s plan over our usual winter breakfast of Co-Co Wheats.
When finished, we would head outside for a full day of sled riding, building snowmen and snow forts and digging holes in the snow banks my dad had blown out, making pretend igloos.
The holidays are great, conditions are normally not favorable, but everyone still manages to travel and spend time with those they love.
When we were young, we would all spend Christmas night in the same bedroom, staying up as long as we could, waiting for Santa Claus to eat those cookies.
On nights that it was insanely cold, my mom would always stay up all night to keep the fires going-my father usually worked night shifts. We could stay up with her and put jigsaw puzzles together at the kitchen table.
Everyone is offered the great chance of renewal with the start of a new year, which is usually spent with dear friends or family. Most even seal their relationships with a kiss at midnight and others toast to a bright new beginning.
Chilly nights are spent cuddling with your significant other or partner, always closer than in the summer months.
These moments, in my opinion, mean more than a commute that takes an extra 15 minutes or waking up early to clean off your car. In the winter, the world slows down, and it is absolutely beautiful. Winter in wonderful. Winter is closeness.
Jonnie L. Kifer
Morgantown