Summertime Bliss Tops Winter’s Frozen Torture  

Summer is far superior to the cold winter weather

Frost coats the grass as a student leaves their house to go to school, their breath visible in the crisp winter air. Shivering as they walk to the car, they begin the process of defrosting from the short walk before finally being able to begin the drive. Compared to summer, this tortuous winter weather is nothing short of divine punishment. 

The argument of winter vs. summer is an ageless one. Surely, even after returning to Spain from the Bahamas Columbus’ crew debated what was better: the frigid cold in Spain or the comfortable warmth of the Bahamas. Of course there is a correct answer to this centuries-long debate: winter is wretched, summer is superb. 

There has been one prominent argument supporting winter, one that always seems to shut down all summer lovers: you can add clothes, but you can only remove so many layers.

While to the untrained controversialist, this may be an instant argument killer, it is only the start for one trained in the art of debate. Yes, clothes can be continuously added to ensure warmth throughout the day. But what about when those clothes become too warm? You now have a heated blanket of clothing crushing you, but you don’t dare brave the cold air without 600 additional lbs. of protection. This game of limbo is a treacherous and uncomfortable balance between heat stroke and frostbite, with no happy ending. 

There is also the argument that summer is inferior solely because you can’t take off clothes when the sun’s rays become too heavy. This is a true fact. But the solution is simple: remain hydrated and invest in a nine dollar handheld rechargeable portable mini fan that even features a strap for when you just want to let it hang around your neck. By spending a mere nine dollars and remaining hydrated, something that should be done regardless of the weather, the summer heat suddenly becomes far more bearable.

Despite what many think, there is nothing merciless about summer. Being weak to the heat does not make summer cruel, just as being ignorant to a painting’s meaning does not make it ugly. All you need to do is see the beauty of it. The flourishing flowers, the pristine beaches, the laughter of children echoing through a park as they bask in the sun, relishing in its warmth as they make memories in the light. 

Summer represents a time of freedom for children nationally. Rather than going to and from school each and everyday, students have the time to enjoy life and truly be kids. Of course there is winter break, but that simply is not the same. Summer break is when kids travel to summer camp for new experiences, making new friends and exploring new experiences. When teenagers experience summer love. 

Summer is a time of memories. Summer is a time of joy. Summer is liveliness and vibrant colors. There is a reason that many people refer to the time as a “summer of firsts” and not a “winter of firsts.” It is because summer is the time to explore new versions of yourself, to bask in the sun’s welcoming energy rather than suffer in the frigid cold, fighting every urge to run and hide under an army of blankets. 

Winter: ‘Finally’ says Floridians

The cool breeze moves in after constricting, sweaty summer

Winter—the reprieve from the blistering, suffocating blanket of heat we call summer. Especially in Florida, it is the moment everyone has been apprehensively awaiting for the past nine months. We might be the ‘Sunshine State’ but that does not mean that its inhabitants don’t breathe a sigh of relief the moment the sun stops lashing out on us.

Unlike in northern countries, one cannot make the argument that teens stay locked away in their rooms the moment the lick of a cold front arrives. No. The tropics are truly an exception to this story. In fact, it is quite the opposite: the average student would be racing back into air conditioning in hopes of finding haven from the nearly record-breaking high temperatures. Only when the late fall chill starts to settle in does the teenager come out of its cave.

Besides, what’s not to like? It is a long-awaited relief from constant, itchy mosquito bites. It is the conclusion of one year and the start of the next. It is the ultimate reset needed to differentiate one year from the next: annoying pests die out and plants and animals hibernate, where they can reawaken to conquer the oncoming year. 

While humans may not “hibernate” per se, we sleep significantly better during the winter. A cool room between 60 to 68 degrees Fahrenheit is similar to what is required for internal body temperature regulation, a part of the process of falling asleep and staying asleep (Healthline). Essentially, the cold completes the first bodily step for us when we doze off, so thank the season.

Sure, everyone wrongly associates winter with flu season, but the ability to “catch a cold” is actually a complete myth. The cold does not make you sick; respiratory droplets in the air do. People are more likely to get sick, since they spend more time close to others indoors (Harvard). 

The winter is the holiday season, and even if that is already mostly over, spending necessary self-care and family time is still an incredibly important point to make. There is no other time as suitable to do so as winter break.

Sure, summer break exists, but most of it is spent aimlessly lazing around rather than actively being with some of the most important people in your life. The holidays are by some unwritten law the time for reunions—everyone has a break and is willing to come together in a peaceful manner, while the summer is when everyone seems to be constantly and unfortunately unavailable.

It is the season of cute sweaters, when compared to its polar (rather solar) sibling, it is the season of somehow managing to wear way too much, because how does the heat not stop? In Florida, you really only have to grab an extra jacket and call it a day, with the extra bonus of being able to wear fun, layered clothes!

Essentially, feeling good about yourself is exactly what the winter stands for. It gives us the comfort of reclining with some warm Southern foods and hot cocoa, bundled up in a warm blanket (including the indispensable invention of a heated blanket), and always feeling good about yourself, because you don’t have to feel that sinking feeling of needing a ‘summer body’. 

In fact, according to CNN, this toxic culture of demanding unhealthily skinny figures is destroying our self-esteem and mental health. Taking pride in our bodies is important—but so is taking care of them. 

With the sweltering, unbearably obnoxious heat of the summer, it is no surprise anyone traipsing the halls of Oviedo would look forward to the three-month period of relief. Looking for an escape from the ruthless heat, they search for a chilly bliss anywhere they can find it, including the frigid grocery stores throughout the region, which are bound to have acclimated Floridians to the cold in some way.