Ah, December; the season of snow, winter festivities, and holiday cheer, right?  Wrong!  For many, the arrival of the Christmas season is not the most wonderful time of the year, contrary to what the song says.  Winter brings with it emotions that, safe to say, are less than cheery.  So, instead of talking about Christmas cookies and songs, I say it’s about time to have an article that brings everyone down a notch!

The most popular theory for this trend in mood is attributed to the limited amount of light we are exposed to when the seasons change.  It is suggested that when we receive less sunlight, a chemical change occurs in the brain that leads to feelings of sadness.  There is a reason the word sad is used to describe these emotions.  SAD is literally an acronym for seasonal affective disorder.

Most people have fall-onset SAD, but it is worth mentioning that there is a spring-onset SAD that may better apply to you.  Although summer seems like a bright fun vacation, it can be a more solemn time for people.

“I’m not a summer lover,” said junior Alex Jones.  “I don’t love hot weather and I would rather stay inside during the summer than the winter.”

Even if it isn’t as extreme as “seasonal depression”, it is completely natural for there to be a dip in your mental health the colder and darker it gets.  

Many of you might be thinking of that one blinking, shining December holiday that the world hyper-fixates on every year and wondering how anyone could be upset during it, and I’m not talking about Global Fat Bike Day.  I’m talking about Christmas, baby.  But, don’t forget, there are still two more grueling months of winter after Christmas that we have to bide our time through.  Three, if we include the atrocious month of March.  

“Before Christmas, I’m excited because I have something to look forward to,” said sophomore Savannah Hawk.  “But afterwards, I am left with nothing to look forward to.  We don’t have much to do and so everybody is bored.”

Considering not everyone can drive fifty minutes to Seven Springs to go skiing, and for those that can, it is still pretty inconvenient, our remote location can make this time of year even more difficult and frustrating.

“I lowkey love a small town winter,” said Jones.  “I would much rather prefer a big city winter though.” 

There is something to be said for the small town winter aesthetic, but there is no denying that the possibilities to get out of the house and be involved in events that bring you joy are more plentiful in a town larger than Saxonburg. 

There are some distractions you could try to get your mind off of the winter glum.

“Read, listen to music, watch movies, [play] basketball, and go shopping,” are some of the vices Hawk uses to get by.  

Ironically, basketball is the main culprit for the Hawk family’s crises in the winter.  

For me, I know that spending as much time with friends and wallowing together helps warm my soul in the cold, bitter weather.  Really, anything that will let you forget about the fact that we don’t get any snow until late January is encouraged.  

If you ever feel alone or confused or frustrated about your negative emotions during the winter, just know that there are thousands of people in the world that feel the same way.  Noticing a decrease in your motivation and mood doesn’t mean you are depressed or that something is wrong with you that you need to feel guilty about.  It’s just the curse of how we revolve around the sun.  Or, if you are a flat-earther (a.k.a. something IS wrong with you), a curse of how the sun is projected across our dome sky.  

Hopefully this article has given you some comfort and provided ideas for how to raise your spirits this season.  I’ll be wishing you all a holly jolly January through March.