"Winter ahs beat summer blahs" by Give It a Spin | Local news, sports, weather, blogs, opinion, crime, obituaries, business, directory, marketplace, education, high school, family, shopping, arts, entertainment, movies, books, cooking, auto, real estate, jobs, classifieds, photos, videos, comics, contests, and mountain pass webcams from Wenatchee, East Wenatchee, Chelan, Leavenworth, Waterville, Cashmere, Quincy, Entiat, North Central Washington newspaper

Winter ahs beat summer blahs

Blog: Give It a Spin

November 30, 2009

Brrr, it's getting kind of cold outside. Though still comfortable for a walk around the block without getting bundled up in a scarf, cap and gloves, we're nearing that time when people start pining for warmer days. It seems to be an interesting theme in music and poetry as well. Winter is pitted as the time when all good things are memories. If you want a happy winter song, better break out those Christmas albums, because "Winter Wonderland" is pretty much all you'll find.

Makes me wonder why people seem to romanticize summer. I mean, if you think about it, cuddling up under a blanket with hot chocolate and a movie is just as romantic as a picnic in the park. Even more so, considering you don't have to worry about things like bugs, wind, noisy children and the sweltering sunshine on the comfort of your couch in December. But summer is supposedly the season when things happen. Couples have a lovely summer together, but once summer ends, the passion bubble pops, and life is once again dull and lonely. How do I know this? Because, Led Zeppelin sings of a summer's day slipping away to gray in "Tangerine," Dean Martin is remembering "The Things We Did Last Summer" all winter long, as "the leaves begin to fade like promises we made," and Frank Sinatra loses his love to the "Summer Wind."

Did you also know that, at least over one summer, New Kids on the Block had a bunch of hits, Chinese food made some guy sick, and girls dressed like Abercrombie models to attract unseeming douchebags? It's true. Listen to LFO's "Summer Girls" (or don't, actually, I suggest don't). I don't know what summer it was when "Billy Shakespeare wrote a whole bunch of sonnets," but according to the pop trio, that happened, too.

You can also watch John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John dish about their fling in "Grease" during "Summer Nights." They both still want to be together, but can't because — that's right, you got it — summer's over, bub. Time to get angsty.

While a little more understandable for a set of teenagers who have a summer break from responsibility, the seasonal lament is still giving winter a bad name. Everyone should consider taking a cue from generations of singers and "just listen to that fireplace roar," because, "Baby, It's Cold Outside," and don't forget that the heat wasn't any more welcoming. Magic can happen in winter, too. In fact, it's probably more likely that it will.

Want to comment on this story? All Wenatchee World members are invited to comment on stories, by using the form below. Please know that we at wenatcheeworld.com hope our site is useful, entertaining and civil. So we'll delete comments that are obscene, abusive or way off topic. We appreciate it when readers use the "suggest removal" button to flag inappropriate comments. For more about interacting with the site, see our Use Policy.