The Childhood Winter Activities I Miss the Most

As a quasi-adult, I really, really dislike the cold.

Gone are the days of my carefree childhood, where the winter months meant the possibility of snow days, consistent wearing of snow pants, tobogganing with my dad and hot chocolate after some playtime in the snow. Now I curse the weatherman whenever he includes snow in the forecast, sigh as I layer four pairs of pants with six pairs of socks just to make it across the street to catch the bus, and complain consistently to my father about how much I hate, hate, HATE the cold days of winter.

The truth is, I am rather nostalgic for the child’s perception of winter. Here are the top four activities I miss most. Hopefully they will remind you of your childhood too. 

1. Ice skating – I was never a graceful child, on or off of the ice. It seemed like every single time I tried to skate, I would injure myself in some way. Two sprained wrists and a knee injury later, I decided that skating just was not for me. However, I do miss class trips to the arena or afternoons on our cottage’s lake, pushing a chair around to steady myself so I would not fall flat on my face. While the Canal is clearly accessible here in Ottawa, I don’t think a 5’11 girl pushing a chair while attempting to steady herself on a pair of ice skates would look super attractive.
2. Snow forts – Remember when you would build a snow fort at recess, pledge to live in it for the rest of your life and then have it either destroyed by older kids or melt? Man, if I could, I would make a snow fort outside of my apartment complex and live in there until April. Roommates are welcome. Exams and stress are not.
3. Snow days – These were the actual greatest things anybody under 18 years of age had to look forward to during the winter months. Snow days when you were a kid meant a whole day of watching TV in pyjamas, eating a hot lunch and not worrying about school! Granted, these are how my days typically occur on a day off, even now. In university, however, legitimate Snow days are non existent. But really… bring back the snow day, please!
4. Tobogganing – I’m fairly certain I’ve made a few people promise to toboggan with me, but nobody has seriously taken me up on the offer! I really, really miss taking my yellow GT snow racer down the hill at school or at the local park with my dad. I must admit that it was exhilarating, flying down the hill at what seemed like a breakneck speed. My suggestion is to go to Canadian Tire, buy some of those plastic “magic carpets” and spend a day tobogganing with your friends!

Image source : http://seoulbeats.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/20121222_seoulbeats_winter.jpg