Winter is Here

During some point during the night, winter came to the south of the Netherlands. It was cold and rainy when I brought the Little Man to school this morning, and I spent the whole day indoors doing things around the house. Once I went to fetch him at the end of the day, it was just as cold and still rainy, and I felt good about my decision to stay inside.

The other day we realized that it was time to start putting the winter coat on the Little Man when we go for a bike ride (for the record, I also put the disclaimer that the child also had a hat, it just wasn't pictured). Now I realize that we need to start including mittens for Little Man, and probably a hat and gloves for me, too.

I'll offer my last proof that winter has come. The temperature in the house dropped below 12 C/64 F today, so I broke down and turned on the heat downstairs. The cats thanked me for the kind gesture and spent a good while cuddled up on the heater.

While I'm definitely not a fan of the cold, winter's arrival does mean some good things are about the come. Sinterklaas will be arriving in a month's time, and Christmas will be here soon after that. AND since Thanksgiving doesn't happen in the Netherlands, no one will call me crazy for starting the Christmas music now... well, except maybe Mark.

So folks, embrace that winter is upon us - just remember to bundle up. It's cold out there.