If I were to ask you what you thought about winter, chances are that you’d find it easier to come up with 10 things you hate than 10 things you love. What’s to like about three months that apparently promise nothing but frostbite and seasonal depression? 

It was only while I was formulating my list of 10 things that I realised, Kat Stratford-esque, all the things that I thought made the colder months unbearable were actually what made them so easy to love, if you let yourself. Still unconvinced? From one winter sceptic to another, let’s go through my list:

1. I hate that it gets dark at 4pm

Pretty depressing, right? I thought so too, until I discovered the joys of retreating to my bed before I would have even got home from sixth form a year ago. And the best part is that no one says anything; you have the perfect excuse, after all.

2. I hate that I can never get warm

“You say cold; I say a reason to get cosy”

It’s all well and good arming yourself with hats and scarves to brave the outdoors, until the same dress code applies in your room. But there’s also something quite comforting about dusting off your thickest jumper and least-matted pair of fluffy socks for another year. You say cold, I say a reason to get cosy.

3. I hate that I can’t wear skirts or dresses

I’m standing by my summer wardrobe here and saying you’ll never get me to love wearing jeans like I love wearing a floaty summer dress (especially after a big meal). But that doesn’t mean I can’t appreciate the fact that wearing trousers 24/7 gives me the perfect get-out-of-shaving-my-legs card.

4. I hate that I can’t go to the beach

When I’m not in Cambridge, I live about 30 minutes from the seaside. But UK beaches are not for the faint-hearted at the best of times, so you can forget any hopes of bringing your sunglasses and swimsuit out of retirement any time soon. Sad times, until you remember that means you can also forget going to the gym and put another cable knit on instead.

5. I hate that it’s too cold for iced coffee

I always thought I was too much of a coffee wimp to have it any other way than iced with a healthy dousing of vanilla syrup. But the winter months gave me pause for reflection and, forced by the poor circulation to my fingers to order a cup of something warm, I learned that I actually really like hot coffee.

6. I hate driving when it’s dark and raining 

My back’s sore just thinking about hunching over the steering wheel to peer into the darkness; add a bit of fog and some sleet to the mix and I feel seventeen again, full of nerves. But that was before I got my car’s heater fixed and started making myself a cup of tea (and maybe even a snack) for the road. Stick on your favourite music and dreaded car-time suddenly becomes prime me-time. 

7. I hate that my skin is dry 

Is it really winter if your lips aren’t about to flake off? A quick trip down a Google rabbit hole and I have a more scientific name for my chapped lips (angular cheilitis), but that hardly helps with the soreness. What does, though, is treating myself to a small lip balm shopping spree – winter self-care at its finest.

8. I hate that I always get ill

“Think comfort movies on repeat, the sticky sweetness of Strepsils on your tongue, and endless rounds of your mum’s cups of tea”

As the not-so-proud owner of the world’s worst immune system, this is one of the things about December, January and February that actually sucks. The one consolation I can give is that if you time your spate of illness well (aka in the holidays), you have at least two sofa days stretching ahead of you. Think comfort movies on repeat, the sticky sweetness of Strepsils on your tongue, and endless rounds of your mum’s cups of tea.

9. I hate that it’s freezing cold when I get out of bed

Getting out of bed in the mornings for a 9am lecture is hard enough when the sun’s shining and the skies are blue. When it’s still dark and a brief foray out from under the covers makes you break out in goosebumps, it’s practically impossible. But in spite of the gloom, it’s not all doom. This is the perfect time to create a morning routine that’ll have you leaping out of bed to start it – preferably something that makes the most of those beautiful frosty sunrises, even if only glimpsed briefly before retreating into your favourite coffee shop.

10.  But mostly I hate the way that I don’t hate you, winter,

Not even close, 

Not even a little bit, 

Not even at all.

Winter is a hard sell, unlike Heath Ledger's Patrick Verona, let's be honest. Professing to enjoy it even just a tiny bit sets you up for more than a few eyebrow raises and funny looks. But hopefully this list has helped to kickstart the conversion process for a few of the haters. Now all that’s left to do is make yourself a hot chocolate and get cosy.