The Spring Garment Debate

Every year around this time I’ve always enjoyed watching people struggle with having to adapt to the changing weather.  It seems that as the weather slowly begins to warm, some of us get over eager and want to embrace everything that acknowledges warmth.  On the other hand you see people who remain skeptical and cautious about finally saying good-bye to winter.  Perhaps everyone reading might want to ask themselves which side of the equation do they sit on?

It never fails that as soon as we see the first glimmer of sunshine attached with anything above 5 degrees, you see people retiring the parkas and pulling out the Bermuda shorts.  Admittedly 5 degrees in March or April feels a lot better than 5 degrees in October or November, but surely these people must be cold, don’t you think?  I’ve always imagined that these people, who get over-anxious and head for the shorts or the summer dresses, realize it’s too soon but become too proud to admit they were wrong.  It doesn’t matter that the goose bumps on their arms are developing snow-caps or that any sensation in their extremities was lost an hour ago.  Nope, its spring so they’ve put away the winter stuff and they aren’t going back!!!

At the opposite end are those who just won’t give up the winter gear until such time as wearing it produces the same effects as 10 minutes in the sauna.  Maybe it has to do with loving their winter fashions, or maybe they just don’t feel they look good in spring pastels.  I always feel somewhat awkward however when I stroll along in a thin jacket and cross paths with someone still wearing gloves and protecting their face.  Is it me?  Am I over-eager??  Is that person looking at me and thinking how foolish I am???

Maybe it’s all answered by looking at genetics.  Some people may have a family lineage that traces back to northern Scandinavia.  Others may have been raised in between the two tropics and anything below 20 degrees is downright frigid.  We are a multi-cultural society after-all and that likely comes into play here.

Kids are another example altogether.  Apparently nobody teaches kids until they are 18 that you don’t wear white before Victoria Day and you don’t put on shorts and a tank-top until its warmer outside than it is inside.  All 3 of my boys are between 6 and 8 and my daughter isn’t yet 2, so I guess I should prepare myself for the inevitable battles that will soon begin and continue to loom ahead.

As for me, I’m perfectly content to stick to the approach that sees parka turn to polar fleece, which turns to nylon jacket, which turns to no jacket and then to shorts.  I guess when you’ve seen enough seasonal transitions, you get the idea of how to do it right.

Soon we will all be comfortable with what to wear as we head into May, but hold tight since October is only 6 months away.