As the months of autumn drift away, the winter season has finally started to arrive. Weather is colder, days are longer and leaves have begun falling off trees, making room for snow. While both seasons have their pros and cons, some people, such as Spanish teacher Ms. Claire Scislowicz, prefer brisk fall weather to freezing winters. Others enjoy the pure beauty of snow.

“I love the feeling of starting fresh and being excited for another school year to start,” Ms. Scislowicz said. “I also like being outside on the cool and sunny fall days and enjoying all the beautiful colored leaves in Northern Michigan!”

Brilliant colors are one of the pleasure the fall season has to offer. Red, yellow, purple and orange fill the limbs of trees, and eventually litter the ground when the weather gets too cold. Like Ms Scislowicz, Junior Gledis Bitraj enjoys autumn more than winter, especially with the “aesthetically pleasing” scenery the season has to offer.

“I really like fall more. I love seeing the variety of colors [in leaves], and the great food,” Bitraj said. “Plus, the weather is really nice!”

Freshman Vlad Meluta also enjoys the vibrant fall leaves, though for different, more playful reasons.

“My favorite fall memory is making a huge pile of leaves and jumping in it, which was a lot of fun,” Meluta said.

Though he’s had some fun in the fall, Meluta prefers the amusement winter has to offer.

“I like winter more because it’s more fun. You can play in the snow and do other fun activities, but in the fall it’s just cold.” Meluta said.

Along with playing in the snow, many people enjoy celebrating the winter season by skiing, sledding, ice skating, and other fun pastimes. Some of Ms. Scislowicz’s favorite activities are centered around enjoying the holidays.

“My favorite thing about the winter season is decorating the house for the holidays and hanging out with my family that I do not get to see all the time,” Ms. Scislowicz said. “I also love binge-watching holiday movies with candles and drinking hot chocolate of course!” 

Despite her preference of fall, Bitraj still retains some good memories of the fun she’s had in winter.

“My favorite winter memory is sledding down by Oakland University. The hills there were really great there.” Bitraj said.

One of the most noticeable signs of winter is the arrival of snow. With the blizzards and flurries of the season come the responsibility of shoveling, car maintenance, and the burden of trying to keep oneself warm. Some people resent this change in weather, but Meluta recognizes that such change is inevitable when living in a state like Michigan.

“This is Michigan, so there’s a lot of change in weather. Almost every day is new, so I’m prepared to adapt to the winter.” Meluta said.