How to Survive a Michigan Winter

Michigan winters can be some of the most brutal experiences Mother Nature has to offer. Freezing rain, sub-zero temperatures and mounds of snow are a few of the highlights. You can survive a Michigan winter and come out the other end stronger, wiser and knowing how to ride a toboggan.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Things You’ll Need:

• Snow boots
• Hat, scarf, gloves
• Ice scraper and other winter gadgets
• Sled or toboggan
• Kids (optional)
• Faith

1. Bundle. Keeping cozy in a Michigan winter includes a thick coat, heavy gloves, burly scarf and lined snow boots, even if it’s not snowing. Frost bite is a real threat, as is freezing to death or getting a headache from not wearing a hat.
2. Take advantage of winter gadgets. An ice scraper is a must if you feel like driving your car, but also look into other cold-weather accessories. These include heated car seats, heated vests and those packets you put in your pockets to keep your hands warm. The latter are sold at most sporting goods stores.
3. Take advantage of the weather. Here’s where the kids and sled come in. Unless you want to be cooped up for months and suffer from crankiness and cabin fever, get out there in the cold. Popular Michigan winter sports include ice fishing, building snow forts and racing down steep hills on a heavy toboggan. Kids love it. Even if you have none of your own, offer to babysit one afternoon and see how much fun it can be.
4. Keep the faith. My mom, who still lives in Michigan, says the biggest necessity for surviving a Michigan winter is the belief that spring will come.

Tips & Warnings

• Always have chicken soup, imported tea and hot cocoa with little marshmallows on hand to serve up when you come back inside.
• If possible, take a vacation to the tropics, or at least somewhere like Arizona, during the lengthy winter spell.
• Decorate. Holiday lights look glorious in a background of soft white snow, much nicer than draped on an Arizona cactus. Again, take advantage of the climate to make it a true winter wonderland. You can even leave the lights up until spring because it really is too cold to take them down.
• Even though you can leave lights up, do try to remove the giant Santa from your roof sometime in February.
• Don’t leave the house without the proper winter wear, even for a short time. If you get locked out on the porch in your socks, you may as well wave goodbye to your frostbitten toes.