Winning the Winter

By Lev Novak

When its so cold, as it is on the East, it can be easy to complain. Especially when the West coasters are wearing sweatshirts as coats, it can be even easier to feel bitter.

Don’t be. Every setback is an opportunity, and cold weather is no exception. You just have to be smart.

1. Concede To The Forces Of Nature

If you want to survive in the East, you’re going to have to yield to Winter, king of seasons.

It sounds obvious, but I see people every day who just don’t pay homage. People wearing sweaters and shivering- add a coat. I don’t care if you’re not a scarf person. It’s twelve degrees? You’re a scarf person.

Similarly, daylight saving’s time is no joke. If you’re waking up at noon, wake up earlier and get some sun in your day. Wah, wah wah; you’ll thank me later. Spending months with minimal sun will affect your mood, and a waking up at 10:48 never killed anyone.

Once you pay respect to the season, things will start to improve.

2. Get Beanies

There is no excuse not to have two beanies; they look great on about 80% of people, are cheap, and super warm, and you’re going to lose one, so buy two.

I bought three- in red, black, and grey- and it was the best $30 I spent all winter. I even lost one, which proves my point. Beanies are fantastic, and cheap, and you’ll look great. Pay homage to the cold and get prepared.

3. Stock Up On Essentials

Essentials are snacks (like hummus, cheese and crackers,) hot chocolate mix, whiskey, your favorite Winter ale, tea bags, oatmeal, and a teapot.

If you’re really fancy, get a good pre-packaged soup from Whole Foods.

That’s all you need. Sure, you need more things to eat, but those are the only things you deeply need. Oatmeal is an impossible-to-stale easy and high-energy breakfast or snack that is much better in Winter. Hummus and Cheese make you a super-fancy cozy aristocrat, and hot drinks like tea and hot chocolate are fantastic to alternate with cooler alcohols, like Winter Ales. Plus, you can add Whiskey to your tea for a hot toddy.

That’s right; hot whiskey-tea. You’re going to be fine.

4. Set The Tone

You have speakers in your house? What about video-games? Any movies you want to see? Unusually complex board-games? Because you get to set the tone for this winter.

A central in-door activity will make the season awesome, because Winter is gorgeous from a distance. Plus, it’s a pretty great excuse to hunker down with the above snack/drink combos and some friends and just hang.

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