To All The Cold Weather Introverts, Our Season Of Joy Has Arrived

I sit at the kitchen counter wearing an oversized cozy sweatshirt and slippers. The morning air is finally feeling chilly — a stark contrast from the last few months. The pool is closed and summer attire put away. Four hand-picked pumpkins line the front steps of my house, and my overly potent apple-cinnamon candle infuses the kitchen air. While so many around me are complaining about the end of summer, wishing for another couple weeks of beach days, pool parties, and cookouts, I am breathing a sigh of relief and regaining a sense of calm. Because for my introverted, home-bodied soul, the cold weather brings me comfort and joy, despite of all its downfalls.

Now don’t get me wrong, I am not a huge fan of the dark cold winters that we have here in New England. But the late fall chill is just enough to keep me on my couch under a blanket free of the guilt that would take over in the warmer months. Because warm summer days mean outdoor fun and gatherings of all kinds. The neighborhoods are littered with kids playing in their yards and families leisurely walking dogs without urgency. Backyard hangouts, lemonade stands, outdoor concerts, and beach days all bring people together in such a wonderful, warm-weather kinda way. I mean, wonderful if you love gathering. Shitty if, like me, you don't.

And actually it’s not that I hate gathering — it’s just that I much prefer the corner of my couch. The constant and prickling anxiety that exists in me even in the most ideal social scenes melts away once I enter my house and I’m alone with my family. And the fall seasonal change invites isolation and coziness. Like a freshly swaddled newborn, I feel comfortable and at home in my sweatpants and cozy socks, fully free from expectation, overstimulation, and conversation. And even with my four littles, arguing and scaling the walls with boredom and suffocation, it still feels oddly comforting to me.

And while I don’t take advantage of the change of seasons with outdoor stuff like skiing and snowboarding, I still find a lot of winter activities superior to the warm weather stuff. Like going to the movies. Grabbing a warm bag of popcorn and hopping into one of those big futuristic recliners to enjoy a major motion picture in peace: yes please! A mostly internal experience disguised as a social outing — it’s genius really, and often passed over in the summer for barbecues or outdoor concerts. Or the weekend afternoons of Netflix and football. Watching TV and interacting at commercial breaks allows for the perfect social balance.

My favorite thing about the colder months, though, is the lowering of social expectations. The invites and events are far fewer, and the excuse of preferring to stay home is much less offensive, and more socially acceptable. And this is especially true when you have little ones. Too cold for little Emma to stand on the sidelines watching the game? We get it! Too germy to bring Jackson to the trampoline park birthday party? Totally understandable! It is a little slice of social-interaction-excuse heaven and I soak in every minute of it.

So here’s to the introverts this season. May you bask in the glory of your own couch and sip your pumpkin spiced latte in peace. May winter be short enough to survive, but long enough to recharge your social systems for the next pool party. It will come sooner than we think, but we’ve got this.

Samm is an ex-lawyer and mom of four who swears a lot. Find her on Instagram @sammbdavidson.