Living in Los Angeles for the past 12 years means we haven’t experienced winter. Winter was something we experienced on vacation up North or out of state. Now that we live in Austin, we catch a glimpse of the cold. On our first day in Texas (12/31), we bought coats, something we had never needed for the kids before.
The kids have still never experienced snowfall in their entire lives. When we first moved to Austin, Caleb asked: “Does it ever snow in Austin.” I was trying to let him down easy when I said: “Sorry buddy, it very rarely ever snows here.” His immediate response: “Great! So there’s still a chance!”
Now that we are facing the biggest storm of the year, one that will affect 1/3 of our country, it makes sense to think about the positive (since we may have to get used to this for a few days).
Winter has its benefits. Of course, Austin, TX winters are way more mild than what most of the midwest, Northeast, and Canada experience. Even so, some of the benefits include wearing warm clothes, snow days off from work or school, hot chocolate, reading a book or watching a movie by the fireplace, and so many more.
What is your favorite benefit of winter?
Sometimes it takes the winter to help us to truly appreciate the spring.
lol I saw the title of this post and knew I had to read it while sitting here in -40 temps so that maybe I could be reminded of something good about it. Except for myself it is more I have to bundle up in layers and I don’t feel it is a benefit. Snow days are great though! It is interesting what you mentioned because I have always told people who ask why I live here where it snows so much that because of winter I can appreciate Spring and Summer that much more. That and no bugs in the winter! 🙂 lol oh snow forts are great and sledding and skiing and my favorite is skating outside on our own backyard rink. I enjoyed this post!
Thanks, Eric. I’m glad you’re getting a taste of winter in Austin.
I grew up in rural North and South Dakota (yes, there is a difference!). I now live in the busy urban center of Minneapolis, Minnesota. One thing that is common to all these settings in winter is silence. Particularly after a fresh snow (when the snow covers even the cars and streets and buildings), it is completely silent when standing outside–even in the center of the city with 80,000 people within a 1 mile radius. The nearest comparison I can come up with is the feeling of standing in a sound-proof booth. Complete silence. All noises muffled by the blanket of snow. This is one of my favorite parts of winter.