Editorial: Ten things we love about winter

Forest, aged 2, and her father Mark play with leaves on a sunny winter morning at Coatesville Farmers Market. File photo / Sylvie Whinray

Editorial

EDITORIAL:

Sick of winter? Here, for you dear reader, are 10 reasons to be cheerful:

Morning light. On a clear day, you can see forever, goes the song. On a bright, wintry morning, the light can be astonishingly gorgeous. Getting out of bed early can be a challenge but go give your eyes a crisp dose of amazeballs.

Snow. New Zealand is blessed with ready access to nature's most splendid recreational surface. Both the North and South islands - yes, much more so in the south - are blanketed with the funnest (is that a word?) drifts of frozen fluff.

Hot chocolate. One marshmallow or two? Silly question. For that matter, any heated beverage is just made for this season. Coffee takes on life-preserving properties. Tea is charity in a cup. And mulled wine only exists for these evenings.

Comfort food. No other time of the year - with the exception of that one day in December - provides a guilt-free, ticket-to-ride on the meat and gravy train. Diet be damned, for reasons to follow.

Woollies. No, not the supermarket, it's too nippy around the vege bins and deep-chiller aisles. The clothes - just snuggle into a freshly fabric-softened jumper and scarf and smell the lavender.

Body worries. As above, any concerns about your shape are immaterial when your lumps are buried beneath Fair Isle cardigans and corduroy baggies. Chuck a Swandri on top for added assurance.

Dramatic weather. Cold fronts roll in like cinematic blockbusters and storms blast into view like disaster movies. Epic viewing from the bay windows without paying Netflix a cent.

Cuddles. Bring them on in people. Body heat is a gift, otherwise wasted as it wafts away into the unappreciative, oblivious icy air. Science tells us hugs boost oxytocin, a neuro-transmitter that makes people ... happy.

Deciduous trees. About this time of year the bare limbs pop into regrowth. These little signals of renewal can be another joy to the eye. This one's for you, bud, which bring us to...

Spring. Yes! Winter means spring is on the way.