Hello newcomer or prospective immigrant. It’s just about time for winter to set in. You have probably heard all the myths, horror stories about Canadian winter, and some of you are probably contemplating Australia instead. Let me give you some perspective on how an actual winter day really looks like. 😛
Just like any other day, your body will wake up with clockwork precision. A snow storm might be raging outside your window. It will feel strange because your house/apartment is temperature controlled running at a nice toasty 22/23 degrees.
You go through your morning ablutions, munch down your cereal, or maybe cook an omelette. If it’s particularly frosty outside, you’ll make something warmer. 🙂
You switch on the TV and listen to the reporter tell you that it is -25 degrees outside, and is likely to fall further in the evening. You’ll shrug it off like nothing, and look for the Weather app that will tell you what it really “feels like”. You note down -30 degrees, and mentally make a note of the stuff you need to wear.
You know how much to dress up depending on how cold it is. You have mastered the art of layering. You have beanies, scarfs, gloves, woollen socks, thermals (called base layer here), Sorel boots, Northface / Columbia jackets at your disposal.
It’s not only a matter of how much to dress, but also which combinations to choose from. Maybe no gloves today, maybe a neck warmer tomorrow.
If you are blessed to have a dog, you’ll be compelled to take him/her out for their walks and bio breaks twice a day. You’ll know exactly how much to dress up for how long a walk. Oh, you’ll also dress up your dog – yup, jackets, and snow boots. All of this takes an additional 20 mins, so you’ll factor all of it in.
Despite there being 4 feet of snow on the roads, the City authorities will regularly clear it off, and make sure that you can reach the transit. Meaning, rain, shine or snow, your office will continue to operate.
You’ll walk into work, and for the next 5–7 mins, remove a few dozen layers to match the optimum working temperature indoors. Snow and ice will look like a wallpaper from the 20th floor of your office. You’ll ooh and aah for the first few months and then get used to it.
You will have severe clothing pressure from colleagues who seem to have an endless stock of sweaters, while you as a newcomer just have a couple. The employee wearing the funniest sweater during the Christmas party becomes the show stopper.
In the evening, your transit will take 10–15 mins longer to reach back home. You’ll curse under your breath every time the bus/subway door opens and the artic circle brushes that little bit of skin you forgot to cover on your face. You know there is no point looking out of the window because you can’t see anything.
By now, the wind is howling outside at -30 degrees, and yet you snowshoe back home, pick up your dog, and complete that walk for the day like it was nothing. If your dog could speak, he’d be might pleased for the first few minutes, and lament on approaching frost bites for the next few.
If you have a car that’s parked outside, then you’ll spend a cool 10 mins outside brushing off all the snow that’s sitting in your car. You’ll wonder why no one ever invented an automatic car body heating mechanism. Could be your startup idea.
If you have a house, you’ll go about shovelling snow off of your porch / driveway. Next day at work you’ll be shocked to hear the news of a colleague who passed away because of a heart attack while shovelling snow. You’ll then take great precaution going forward.
30 mins later, you are back home, dressed down, and look forward to the weekend, where you can ice skate / snowboard / ski / snowshoe with your friends. (unless there is a weather advisory)
Grocery shopping will take you twice as long because of all the black ice that’s magically everywhere orchestrating the physical universe to make you trip and break a leg or hip or just your phone. Speaking of phones, if you have an Apple swag on you, get that Apple Care before you fall.
If you have children, your garden will be filled with snow-people, and there will be puddles of water just inside the doorway. Engaging children indoors without indulging them with electronics will become your #1 challenge.
By December, Christmas decorations will pop-up in your neighbourhood, lifting everyone’s spirits, even if you have a different faith.
After your first winter you’ll tell your relatives how you survived the harshest winter Canada has ever seen. You’ll show off to your heart’s content, and talk about how you look forward to the next one, while secretly hoping that summer lasts long this time.
Two winters later you have made your peace, and all the snow, windchill, and blizzard doesn’t bother you anymore. You begin to realize that in a weird but interesting way, it’s all part of becoming a Canadian.
Lock Stock Canada 
One thought on “A Typical Winter Day in Canada”