Winter is not a simple thing this far north. The temperatures can drop severely and without notice. Blizzards can spring up suddenly leaving residents stranded and digging their way out. We can also go through freeze and melt cycles that can make any quest outside a ridiculous endeavour.

Surviving our Edmonton winter requires two things: long johns and hope. It may not sound like much but within these two things lays all our wiles and abilities in winter survival.

There has been many a trek out into the cold bitterness of our winters where I have come to complete understanding of the urge to take refuge in warmer climes. We endure the physical discomfort of winter through the majority of the year. Itchy sweaters, sweaty socks, and stained mittens roll through our daily lives for the dominant season. Shoveling, sanding, and slipping become our daily aerobics. Yet every year the city’s population doesn’t go down the drain after the first snow. Every year our residents drag themselves through another season.

There is the occasional nutball who claims to love winter. If delving into the depths of insanity gets you through your day I’m not going to argue. Some of us take deeper cover than others.

The rest of us start a strategic plan that will outline our survival month by month through the winter. Our first line of defense is the hot toddy. After that, we pull out the long underwear. Extra layers are best employed preemptively. Dig them out of the back of the closet prior to the first snowfall because after that they just go AWOL and won’t be found until spring thaw. Clean them because they likely haven’t been washed since last winter and won’t be laundered until next. Place them in a visible area within your bedroom because you will use any excuse not to wear them, such as “I don’t see them, so they mustn’t be there.”

As important as long johns are to our existence during the winter, we have to mentally coerce ourselves to do what’s right and wear them. The simple fact is that long underwear is uncomfortable. Indispensable as they may be, they tend to ride up into the unknown regions and lodge themselves there for the duration. Additionally, once you’re actually inside for a brief period of time, you need to take the underwear off before you start to sweat because once you’re sweaty you have to peel the underwear off and that’s just icky.

The other major component to winter survival is the knowledge that we will outlive the season. One day very soon, the snow will melt and the temperatures will rise above glacial levels and we will have more than a nodding relationship with the sun. This is the basis of the mantra that we all chant to ourselves when we have to get up in the dark cold and go outside and leave our warm, comforting beds behind. Winter will end and we hope to outlast it. If the mantra starts to fall apart go back to the hot toddy and try again.

Keri lives in Boyle Street with her long johns. She also makes a mean hot toddy.