Winter is Coming – Oh No, it's Here

Winter is undeniably here, and snowman emojis have taken over my Instagram feed. Sweaters are taken out from deep inside closets, badminton courts are drawn up and the sweet smell of khejur-syrup fills the air. This is how winter is portrayed in everyone's fourth-grade essay in school, and it's how people feel about winter in Bangladesh for most of their lives. I, however, see winter a little differently.

Winter is Cold: Winter is the coldest of all seasons, and that is part of the charm of it. What isn't charming, however, is having to suffocate beneath multiple layers of blankets and quilts in order to keep moderately warm through the night. Sleeping with socks on becomes an annoying necessity. Nightly trips to the bathroom are treacherous journeys – I have gone through nights where I've just "held it in", unable to leave the warmth of my bed. Winter mornings aren't much better – breakfast is served hot, but becomes stone cold by the time I'm able to go in for a second mouthful. It's all just so…cold.

Winter is Dry: Come December and my bathroom shelves are filled with bottles of moisturisers and balms. Products which are able to keep my skin hydrated through the whole day in the summer don't seem to last even an hour in the winter chill. Edges around nails and fingers become dry and flaky, making wintery-hand-holding sessions uncomfortable. I find it difficult to wear my regular lipstick, because they take on a horrible chapped appearance on the lips. The chill also messes with my hair, leading to a multiplication of staticky frizz during this season. The dryness in the weather also results in breakouts – it's all very unpleasant.

Winter is Monotonous: Winter clothing is warm clothing. Jackets and sweaters make up most of our "#ootd"s through this season. I don't know about you, but I usually end up rotating the same four jackets through the whole of winter. It doesn't matter how fabulous I look beneath my layers – all you'll see is the same black coat in all my photos. Most people tend to wear the same sweater during the winter months, generally filling the streets with shades of blacks, greys and maroons. If you do happen to have a selection of funky jackets to choose from and wear a different one every day, then – you go, Glenn Coco. But for me, it's just very bland and very sad.

There are so many aspects of winter to love: the seasonal revival of badminton, the various pitha fests, and the annual family picnic, to name a few. But when you're as athletically challenged as I am, and lack a sweet tooth as strongly as I do, and have a family that's as dysfunctional as mine is, then winter just doesn't feel like a season for you.

I've got my green and yellow outfits all ready for you, Spring. 

Nifath Karim Chowdhury likes to doodle all over her notebooks, textbooks and life. Send her a virtual high-5 at nifty_nicole@live.com