Lexikay Stokes, Campus Carrier Opinions Editor

As August comes to an end and September has begun to pick up, I can see the inevitable in the coming months: winter. Cold temperatures, early nights and layers upon layers to stay warm really aren’t my thing. I’m more of an advocate for sunshine until 9:00 p.m. and getting hit by a wall of heat when you walk out the door. Watching that come to an end is always a slow, sad process for me. 

You know that feeling when you run from a cool room to a parked car and the heat swallows you up for a few minutes until you can get you’re A.C up and running? I love those moments. Any moment such as that is far better to me than having to suffer through the cold. 

There are always two types of people in the world: people who love summer, and people who love winter. Usually, when I am trying to get to know someone I ask a series of questions, one of them always being “Would you rather it be really hot all the time, or really cold all the time?”. I think that answer can really provide insight to someone’s personality. I would rather it be smoldering hot every day than for it to be below 40 degrees. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I love Christmas. It really is a wonderful, cheerful time of the year. In my ideal world though, it would be cold on Christmas eve and Christmas day, and then the temperatures would pick up after that. 

There are some upsides, however. The transition to winter, also known as fall, is filled with beautiful colors, outdoor fires, flannels, and seasonal coffee flavors and that’s a pretty good upside. It’s when the temperature gets too low to enjoy sitting by a fire outside, and you have to wake up early just to scrape the ice off your windshield — that is where I draw the line. 

In my opinion, there are so many more redeemable qualities about summer than there are for winter. For one, summer requires a minimal amount of clothing. One thing I dislike most in the world in layered clothing. It feels like I’m being hugged really tightly all day and that’s not my favorite thing in the world. In summer, you can throw on some Nike shorts, and a t-shirt, or tank top, and be good to go. That’s all it takes to be ready for the day. Really, it’s just more practical. 

Besides the issue of clothing, winter is dark. When I think of the months of December through February I think of the colors grey, brown and black. Summer, however, is filled with bright and sunny hues of yellows and green and orange. 

Also, winter means less time spent outside. Maybe I’m just a wimp when it comes to the cold but my motivation to participate in outdoor activities when the temperature is below a preferable 65 degrees, goes down significantly. If I can’t stand outside comfortably, without having to bundle up, and there’s a chance I might shiver, my teeth may chatter, or I can see my breath, I most likely will not be eager to participate. 

So, as the leaves begin to change and fall from the trees, the temperatures begin to creep lower and lower and the sun begins to set earlier every night, know that I will be mourning the loss of the warm summer sun and the simplicity of the summer months. I won’t be too upset though because I know that winter is some peoples’ favorite time of the year, and I will respect that. Until then, however, I will hold on to the warmth a bit longer, and relish in the last rays of summer sun for as long as possible.