Montreal is finally exhibiting signs of winter. On Thursday morning, just as the sun was starting to rise, I saw a glimmer of white on my window pane and jumped out of bed, only to whack my head on a bookshelf. Once I’d confirmed the presence of freshly fallen snow (and more than flurries) I squealed like that Hawaiian guy on my floor in first year when he saw his first snow. I was equally disappointed to listen to students grumbling about winter on my way to class. To be sure, my heater was hardly a match for this weekend’s bitter temperatures, but winter brings a multitude of pros and cons, all of which must be considered before you ask yourself why you don’t live in Zanzibar. 

Pros

– If the weather gets cold enough, maybe leggings won’t pass as pants anymore.

– Winter gives you a chance to see what designers have done to make winter boots ever so slightly attractive.

– The frigid temperatures keep your beer cold.

– Gives you an excuse to try to make the world’s biggest snowball instead of going to class.

– Seeing people cross country ski to campus makes trudging through the snow bearable.

– Watching the Montreal snow removal is especially fun after playing winter themed drinking games

Cons

– No one likes to wear a coat. And a hat. And a scarf. And gloves. And another hat, because it’s just that cold.

– The endless array of winter themed lattes means I have to wait an extra five minutes while in line at a coffee shop. I do not want a peppermint-gingerbread-eggnog-mocha-latte-with-extra-snowflake-sprinkles-on-top, thank you very much. But the eight people in front of me at Second Cup do.  

– Uggs are the ugliest boots known to man. And they aren’t even winter boots.

– Winter makes you hate your friends who are on exchange, taking scuba classes for credit in Indonesia 

– Sidewalk plows are efficient killing machines in disguise. 

– The cold and snow stall construction so often that campus will never be construction-free.