Yes

I can’t think of a more flavourless marriage to one’s environment than living inside a perpetual summer.

Winter doesn’t come without its growing pains. The long march through November is arguably the most hellish span of the calendar year, defined by diminishing sunlight and even worse hope for new beginnings.

But where winter requires gritting through unparalleled despair for a short month and a half, we’re gifted the same landscapes the Group of Seven documented a century ago—at least, for the time being. The first snowfall remains one of the strange joys of the year, which Instagram Stories unfailingly indicate each November. Worse, imagining a life where December is marked by the subtle transition to pants and long sleeve shirts makes my brain cramp. It doesn’t compute.

Where the landscape does the groundwork, the environment for activity is where the rubber truly hits the road. Whether coming home from a skate, run, or workout—a handful of the million activities you can get up to—winter doesn’t require the hour-long recovery summer weather forces on you. I’ve come home from runs in the summer and taken painfully cold showers, only to find myself sweating bullets minutes after I get out. While I adore the long, warm days of summer, operating under those conditions can be untenable. Being unable to scroll through my phone for hours solely because I’m too sweaty might be the closest thing to purgatory.

Yet, in the winter, I can come through the front door, let the kettle heat up while I take a shower, and sit down to work 15 minutes later. If we’re talking about efficiency, winter remains undefeated.

I could continue describing how layering up is easier than layering down or break down the extra little joy warm coffee provides in the morning—I’d never stop. But I will.

It may be imperfect, but winter deserves a little more love.

—Matt Scace, Managing Editor

No

We all love cozy winter nights spent with hot chocolate and a good book—or, in my case, a few hours spent staring at my phone. But there’s a reason so many of our favourite winter moments are spent inside. There is absolutely nothing to be desired about Canadian winter weather.

Our expectations for the weather are far too high. Winter snow doesn’t equal days spent skiing or ice skating. We’re lucky to get a few days of good weather each season for some fun winter activities. The rest of the time we get slush and slippery sidewalks.

Going out in the winter is a recipe for discomfort. Either you bundle up too tightly and you’re sweating through your scarf while your eyelashes freeze, or you’re not wearing enough layers and hoping you don’t get frostbite. Either way, you’re desperate to get home.

The winter makes it super tough to walk anywhere, and Kingston’s student district is a gorgeous 10-minute neighborhood. I can’t count the number of times I’ve skipped out on my quarantine walks because I didn’t feel like braving the snow, wind, or horrible freezing rain. I’m also wasting absurd amounts of money buying groceries at Metro now that I don’t feel like making the trek to Food Basics.

Finally, the fact that it gets dark out so early is a huge blow to any chance I had at staying positive during an online semester. It should be illegal for the sun to set at 4 p.m. 

—Aysha Tabassum, Features Editor