Ah, winter. Here in Massachusetts, we have a bit of a love-hate relationship with our chilliest season. There’s plenty to love, but it’s easy to be caught unawares by some of the unique quirks of winter in the Bay State if you’re not prepared. Here are some of the things that no one tells you about spending your first winter in Massachusetts.
1. Your body and mind may not be prepared for the amount of snow we get.
Winter here means waking up at 6 a.m. to shovel out your car before work EVEN THOUGH you cleared it off before you went to sleep the night before. It means clawing your way through snowdrifts to get to the supermarket doors and losing your car keys in your driveway until the snow melts in April.
2. Winter arrives in stages…
The first day that you step out of your house and feel that frosty chill, you might be tempted to retire your short-sleeve tops for the season and break out the heavy sweaters and down jackets. But the next day, the temperature is somehow 60 degrees again. Winter here has its own schedule.
3. …but then lasts half the year.
It’s chilly in Massachusetts pretty much from October to April. That’s seven months. Winter is what we do for half our lives.
4. We love to complain about winter. It’s practically a state pastime.
From the road conditions to the bitter cold to the ice on the sidewalk, we get fiendish delight from commiserating with friends and coworkers about how annoying winter conditions can be.
5. We also love to debate whether this winter is worse than last year.
It’s a topic of conversation that comes up with bizarre frequency. One person in the group alway thinks this is the worst winter in recent memory, and there’s always one person who says they’re not even wearing their heavy winter jacket yet.
6. It may be cold, but it’s also really beautiful out there.
From snow-laden branches to glittering frozen ponds, there’s a lot of wintery beauty to be found out of doors in Massachusetts. Pull on your sturdiest boots and get to exploring.
7. It gets dark really early.
Our northern position means that the long, dark nights of winter creep up sooner than in other parts of the country. Driving home from work in the dark is a real thing.
8. Be prepared to drive at 15 m.p.h. on the highway at some point.
Blizzards here are no joke. There’s nothing scarier than sliding (or watching someone slide) across four lanes of traffic because of going too fast in snowy conditions.
9. Snow does not equal a day off from work.
Newcomers from states that shut down after a few inches of the white stuff may be surprised to learn that Massachusetts continues to operate (more or less) like normal even with a few feet of snow on the ground.
10. And thankfully, the kids are still going to school.
The biggest factor that influences school snow days here is whether the roads are clear enough for teachers and bus drivers to get to school. If they can make it to class, it usually doesn’t matter if there’s enough snow to bury Manhattan.
11. We love to complain abut it, but winter in Massachusetts is actually pretty amazing.
Sledding, hot chocolate, snowy hikes, skiing, ice-skating and a holiday season that looks like it jumped out of a postcard. We have a lot to be thankful for during the winter season in this state.
If you're looking for the perfect way to make the most of winter in Massachusetts, check out this dazzling holiday light walk through lush gardens.
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