The year begins and ends in November

I’ve heard that November is the longest month in the Nordic calendar. In fact, there is a poem about it:

“The year has 16 months: November 
December January, February, March, April 
May, June, July, August, September 
October, November, November, November, November. ” 
– Henrik Nordbrandt

I’m not sure what makes November feel so long in the Nordic area. It could have something to do with the arrival of snow, fast and deep. Or the dark that falls earlier every night. Perhaps it seems long because there is no holiday to break up the monotony of the increasing dark and cold until Yuletide begins in the middle of December. 

There is no doubt that November is seen as the darkest time of the year. But how do those in the Nordics make the transition into winter? Is it best to hibernate as much as possible; to get hygge or kos at home with friends and family? Or supplement with vitamins, trying to replace what we would naturally get from the sunlight? Would it be more helpful to seek light therapy by visiting light rooms, light festivals (see Brunnsviken), or light displays like the Festival of Light in Tampere?

All of these actions can make a difference, but according to research done by Kari Leibowitz while a PhD student at Stanford University, the most successful make a choice. They choose to focus on the positive. They celebrate those things that can only be done in the winter.

And there are so many things to do! Skiing, building snowmen, experiencing the Northern Lights. The Nordic area has too many activities to list.

My hometown is also full of winter activities. Eight major ski resorts are less than an hour away. People come here from all over the world to experience the snow and the outdoors. Yet I’ve been skiing only once in the twenty years I’ve been here.

This year I choose to change my mindset. I choose to take the Dancer ice skating, to build a snowman with the Kraken, to go skiing with the Gamers. I choose to make hot chocolate, snuggle under warm blankets, and enjoy all that can be done only in the winter.

What did I learn from this?

Make winter enjoyable and you’ll be surprised you ever thought it was difficult.