Top 10 Things I Love/Hate about Winter

It's Top 10 Tuesday, so be sure to go to Kate's and Tiff's blogs and see what they think about this week's topic. I'm not a winter/Christmas type person at all, so this month is really going to be hard for me topic-wise. I'm going to try not to be a negative nelly, but when you're heavy on the Scrooge, it's kind of difficult to be happy during this time of year.

#1: THE COLD
I HATE HATE HATE cold weather! I'm internally cold anyway, so wintertime is almost painful. It doesn't help that they run the air conditioner at work 24/7, no matter the outside temp (I swear they need to put HRT meds in the coffee around here). I can't do the whole dress warmly thing either, I have to run heat and run it very hot, so I have way higher utility bills during this time of year.

#2: ICE
OK, so this kind of goes with #1, but I did say this was a hard list for me, so I'm kind of grasping at straws here. We don't get snow in my part of the country, we get ice...lots and lots of it at times. Even if you take the cold out of it, I have horrible balance, so I pretty much end up on my butt at least once a day (sometimes more than once) for every day there is ice on the ground. Despite the large quantity of it we get every year, apparently NO ONE has learned to drive on it yet, so there are idiots everywhere just waiting to smush you. And if all that wasn't enough, the way my trailer is, the ice ALWAYS freezes my front door shut, so either someone has to come and dig me out or I have to pour hot water and blow dry the door every hour on the hour all night long to make sure I can leave the next morning. Ugh.

Once I do make it out, this is my view

#3: CHRISTMAS
Again, on my hate list is everyone's favorite holiday. I just don't get it. Why spend a fortune to decorate my house when no one ever comes over? Why waste countless hours fighting with people in the stores? Why spend a fortune to buy people gifts and then worry about whether or not they like it and, if they don't, then I've wasted a fortune for nothing? Why do others spend a fortune on me when they rarely ever get me what I want? Why spend an entire month listening to the same five songs over and over again on the radio because they insist on playing nothing but Christmas music? And the list goes on and on.

I rarely ever feel "lonely" in the typical sense, but there is something about this holiday that makes me feel that way. It may be because the world portrays it as a time to spend with others and I really don't have "others" to spend time with. Normally, that doesn't bother me, but when every movie, TV show, commercial and person I come into contact with constantly remind me that I'm not normal, it tends to weigh on me after a while. It is one of the few times when I feel the full weight of my Asperness.

But at the same time, I am incredibly grateful that I don't have to do the whole Christmas experience. Some of my worst ever times have been during Christmas. As much as I love getting stuff, I just can't deal with the whole "opening presents in front of others" thing, even if it's my closest family. I would work myself up into a frenzy every single year and would be sick before, during, and afterwards. To say I was horrible during that time was an understatement. Now, I don't "do" Christmas anymore and it's a much better time of year, at least in the privacy of my own home.

#4: FALL BACK FROM DAYLIGHT SAVINGS TIME
This is a love/hate thing for me...I love sleeping later in the mornings and staying up later at night, but I hate leaving work in darkness every day, even if it really isn't that late. I usually feel better overall during this time of year, at least physically, but for some reason I haven't felt the benefits of falling back this year. Usually, it's easier for me to get up in the mornings, but it hasn't been that way so far.

#5: FOOD
Although I don't typically like holiday food, this time of year sees an overabundance of it being delivered at work from fruit to candy to big sandwiches and as long as it stays along that path, I'm fine, but when we start getting holiday food like fruit cakes and turkeys, I am so done. I also don't do potlucks, especially since I see how these people keep their work areas...if they can't take care of areas that don't belong to them, can you imagine how they treat their own homes and there is NO WAY I'm eating after them, and since they typically tend to eat Christmas food, again, UGH.

#6: THIEVES
Yet another reason not to decorate for the holidays. Maybe it's because I live in a trailer park, but this time of year tends to bring out the worst in people because they can't afford to buy things of their own, so they steal from others, or worse, they trash your house if you decorate...I see it every single year.

#7: KIDS OUT OF SCHOOL
Again, this kind of goes with #6, but when kids are out of school, they tend to get into trouble, especially those of the trailer park variety. I came outside Monday morning to find that my car had been egged (as well as the cars of my neighbors). Luckily, it has been raining for three days, so it didn't stick to anything, but still, that's what happens on a holiday weekend when the little hoods get bored. Plus, we have an entire week to look forward to come Christmas/New Years time. Oh joy.

#8: DISNEY WORLD CLOSURES
This is one of the worst times to go to Disney World. In the early winter you have all the Christmas stuff and it's extremely crowded or, in the late winter, it's a slow time and they tend to rehab a lot of rides. Plus, it can get cold in Florida, especially in the morning time, so you dress warm for the mornings and by mid day you're burning up only to freeze again come nighttime. Good recipe for the flu!

#9: STITCHING
I managed to come up with the final two things and, believe it or not, they are positive! Go figure! So first up is stitching. Once I'm back from Disney World in the fall, I tend to focus solely on stitching probably because I can't deal with anything Disney (the power of post-Disney depression). From fall to the end of the year, and then again from the first of the year to spring, I stitch more than I probably do all year long. Once the late spring rolls around, preliminary Disney planning starts again and then slacks off mid summer, only to be kicked back in during late summer.

#10: WORK CHRISTMAS PARTY
I'm still not sure where I stand on this year's party...I always go with Tony and since we're not friends anymore, I don't know if I'm going to go or not, but my work party is one of the few times of the year I get dressed up (and I mean REALLY dressed up), go out and have a really good time! Last year's party was the absolute best which is probably another good reason not to go this year, last year's party can't be outdone and I'd like to keep a good memory good. I've got a couple more weeks to decide, but if I never go to another party, the memory of last year will stay with me.

Now I feel better that I managed the final two numbers...I hate to leave anything unfinished!