How do you keep sane in winter

[Lorri67]

After living in Houston Texas for 13 years and bbq- ing most christmases I am looking forward to a very white christmas! We moved here in March, drove through a blizzard to get here, and have loved every minute of it since - for the bit of winter we experienced very little of it was dark or dreary - the sunshined while it snowed most days.
Good luck on your move, hope you love it too.

[Huckleberry3911948]

move to southern cal?
but then again i drive these freeways, omg well that doesn't work then.

[alanMolstad]

I also live in Grand Forks and I hear that Grand Forks is 2nd for alcoholism in the state.

Damn Fargo....

[FargoBison]

Originally Posted by parrotheadmomma

I've read a lot of posts on this forum lately because we may be moving to the Grand Forks or Fargo area in the next year or so and am really trying to be prepared. I've read several posts where people talk about how high alcoholism is in these areas. Is it because your basically cooped up in your house all winter and it's very dark and dreary outside. It sounds like a great place to live otherwise but it's scaring me thinking that I and many others will get very depressed in the winter.

What do you do in the winter time to keep from going stir crazy? We are a family with very young children who are used to being outside in the yard a lot so I'm imagining when we move here, we have to find a very large house in which we can make a playground in the basement LOL!

I guess everyone has their thing. Some people plan vacations to warm places. Others develop a love for something that can only happen in the winter like snowmobiling, icefishing, or watching hockey games. Some drink but those that drink don't drink any less during the other seasons.

Your kids will be fine, there are plenty of youth sports programs(from sports like basketball to gymnastics) and when I was a kid I did plenty of sledding and I even built a few snow forts. As long as you dress right the cold isn't that big of an issue, your kids should still be able to enjoy the outdoors.

[Reziac]

When I was a little kid (4 to 5 years old) in Bismarck, I'd get dressed up warm, then spend hours playing outside -- the winter wasn't complete if you hadn't built an igloo. Apparently I wasn't much bothered by below-zero temps. Fact is, kids get acclimated and will do fine -- good insulated boots, good mittens (NOT just gloves), and a good hooded parka can keep you perfectly warm, especially if you're moving around like kids do.

As to going stir-crazy or getting Seasonal Affective Disorder -- sometimes you wonder if it's just lack of something physical to do. I'd hazard that folks who have to chop wood every day might be less affected.

[TravisW]

Originally Posted by Reziac

When I was a little kid (4 to 5 years old) in Bismarck, I'd get dressed up warm, then spend hours playing outside -- the winter wasn't complete if you hadn't built an igloo. Apparently I wasn't much bothered by below-zero temps. Fact is, kids get acclimated and will do fine -- good insulated boots, good mittens (NOT just gloves), and a good hooded parka can keep you perfectly warm, especially if you're moving around like kids do.

As to going stir-crazy or getting Seasonal Affective Disorder -- sometimes you wonder if it's just lack of something physical to do. I'd hazard that folks who have to chop wood every day might be less affected.

I agree about being a kid and being acclimated to the winter. Through high school, it was nothing to go out and goof around when it was -20. I think my most fun afternoon of skiing was on a Superbowl Sunday when it was -20. There was NOBODY out.

For me personally, the bigger problem with winter doldrums has come about from working an office job. Some days, you never actually see the sun. That tends to make a person sluggish.

[leroyleroux]

Keeping sanity in the winter would require actually having sanity the rest of the time.

[Reziac]

Originally Posted by leroyleroux

Keeping sanity in the winter would require actually having sanity the rest of the time.

Speak for yourself. I don't suffer from insanity; I enjoy every minute of it!

.

[cats307]

Don't want poeple to think we are all alcoholics here!!! At my work they all go to the bar maybe once a week for a couple drinks. Out of all our friends none of us hit the bar. Some might have a beer when company comes over. You have to love snow activities because you will be dealing with it from Nov to March.
Kids will LOVE it!!!! Just bundle them up and throw them outside to play in the snow. You can go sledding, cross country skiing, downhill skiing, ice fishing just to name a few outside activities in the winter.

[ElkHunter]

You gotta love the winter.

Kids get their homework done on time.
Kids do their inside chores without being asked. (Forget them shoveling snow tho).
You catch up on those books you wanted to read.
The three warms pay off with wood. You get warm chopping it. You get warm stacking it. You get warm burning it.