Earlier this week, I opened my front door and walked out to my car to find frost covering my windshield.
The first scrape of the season is always the worst. Just last week I was blasting the air conditioning after the walk from South’s west lot to my car after school, and now I’m pulling my winter coat out of storage.
While winter may not technically start until December 21, the air is getting colder, days are becoming darker, and outdoor activities are winding down. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) released its weather prediction for 2025-2026, which states that this year is impacted by the La Nina event in the Pacific Ocean. La Nina refers to periods when sea-surface temperatures along the equator in the Pacific Ocean are unusually cold, leading to conditions with more snow and winter storms across the Chicago area, according to the NOAA.
The dread of winter does not only include bundling up to walk into school in the morning, but also means the end of many coveted outdoor activities. Including nature walks, pickleball games, or even simply not having to wear multiple layers for the Friday night football game.
Additionally, on Nov. 2 the clocks fell back an hour and the sun is going down by 5 p.m. rather than 8:30 p.m. However, in recent years almost 20 states have advocated for a year-round daylight savings time, according to USA Today. In 2022 the U.S. Senate unanimously approved the Sunshine Protection Act to make daylight savings time permanent, but the U.S. House of Representatives did not pass it nor did former President Joe Biden sign it, USA Today said. The hope in maintaining daylight savings time is to prevent sleep disruption, confusion, and safety and health issues from the darker evening hours.
This makes it even more important to maintain routines during the winter by getting sunlight when we can, exercising, and making plans with friends and family, the New York State Office of Mental Health advises. By starting new routines before winter starts, the season might not feel so drastic and dreadful.
Initially, those first few cold mornings are disappointing. However, as time goes on routines set in. My coat will soon be waiting for me with my backpack to make the walk into school more bearable, and soon enough the early dark nights will become my new normal.
I will stay positive and trust that my routines will set in to make the transition into the dreaded season more manageable.
