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A City that Embraces Winter
Norway’s Kristiansand has a cure to the post-festive January blues
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January struggles
I think it’s fair to say that January is most people’s least favourite month. Why is this the case? There’s a number of good reasons.
Firstly, many people have just had a nice relaxing holiday. Schools are free, families have come together, people have eaten to excess, and many have partied into the new year.
The hangover and comedown from this is not easy. After two weeks away, it’s tough to get back into the routine. Both kids and adults find it difficult to get up early in the morning.
To compound this, in most parts of the world, January is much darker. The first few weeks here in Norway don’t see daylight until after nine. Personally, I find that very fun, but for many people, it just adds to the misery.
Another challenge is the cold. It’s not just dark, but for many, it’s freezing. Even when we visited LA right before the fires, we couldn’t help but notice how cold it is at night. In many places, especially in these days of global warming, the weather has become unpredictable. There seems to be a mix of snow, which is then washed away by rain before the snow comes back, creating…