Two pairs of socks.

Hand warmers inside a pair of gloves inside mittens, thermal pants and shirt, sweatshirt, a fluffy jacket, and a thick stocking cap. You can barely move, but at least you’re fortified enough to try going outside now. You’re wearing everything you need to stay warm but, until you read “How to Winter” by Kari Leibowitz, PhD, you don’t have everything for the season.

Growing up along the Jersey Shore, Kari Leibowitz was no fan of winter. She always thought that beaches were better but that all changed when, as a researcher, she landed a Fulbright Scholarship at the University of Tromsø in Norway. She planned to study “winter mindsets” to understand why people choose to live in cold-weather climates.

There, she says, she “fell in love with winter myself.”

In Tromsø, winter lasts nine months and two of those months are opaquely dark because of a “diffused” sunrise. Temperatures aren’t Arctic, but they aren’t exactly go-without-a-coat weather, either. Still, residents know how to live well and happy in the dark and cold, and they taught Leibowitz their secrets.

First and foremost, she says, adjust your mindset. If you expect to hate winter, you will hate it. Think about nights spent in front of the fireplace, warm blankets and hot drinks, and consider them as koselig, a Norwegian compliment indicating that something’s perfectly cozy. Reach for things that elevate your hygge, or your “cozy contentment.”

You don’t have to be cold. You don’t have to be grumpy, and you don’t have to hate the season. In fact, says Leibowitz, “The chance to enjoy it is a relief.”

“Appreciate winter,” she says, and pay attention to the magic of snowy nights and chilly-weather nature. “Make it special,” by setting yourself up for fun things to do and happy events you know you’ll eagerly anticipate. The Norwegians say, “There’s no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing,” so bundle up warm, go outside, and enjoy.

Your nose is frozen. And so are your toes. But follow the advice inside “How to Winter,” and you’ll be so busy smiling through this season that you won’t mind a bit.

That’s because there’s a pretty high level of joy inside this book, in every word of advice, and inside the tales that author Kari Leibowitz, PhD tells of her time in Norway and the wonder of the season she found there. It’s almost enough to make you book a ticket and go yourself but instead, read and learn to love the white stuff in your own yard. Just know that it might not be easy — even Leibowitz admits that but with time, what you learn here may eventually help you look out your window with more contentment and less contempt.

If you long for the same kind of happiness a snowy day gave you as a kid, “How to Winter” will help you recapture that feeling. If you need a cold weather mood-booster, that’s here, too.

Miss this book, though, and it’ll just leave you cold.

“How to Winter: Harness Your Mindset to Thrive on Cold, Dark, or Difficult Days” by Kari Leibowitz, PhD
c.2024, Penguin Life
$29.00
304 pages