Cold and I don’t mix. We never have gotten along, ever since I moved here. I grew up with green Christmases, where seeing the temperature drop below 40° was a cause to freak out. I remember one time it snowed, and you had to scrape together all the snow in like a 4 ft square area to make a single snowball. And since it was so precious and rare, you stuck it in your freezer instead of throwing it at someone.
I didn’t even see my first real life snow until I was around 12, and went on a vacation to another state.
So you can imagine that sub-zero temperatures remain a thing of fear and horror, something to be avoided at all costs.
But, lucky me, I live in the Northern Great Lakes area now and cold is a relative term. 20° can seem like a heat wave after a brutal cold snap, and it isn’t uncommon to see people walking around in shorts when that occurs. Shorts and sweatshirts. With socks and sandals. :roll: I know, it’s like they couldn’t make up their mind which season to dress for, so they dressed for all of them. I swear I couldn’t make this stuff up.
Anyway, it gets cold here, and I hate cold, and I hate sleeping with clothing that gets all twisted up in the sheets, so that means I either have to sleep and freeze, or sleep in extreme discomfort.
Then a few years ago, Darc stumbled across these long underwear items made of silk knit. The price was actually reasonable so we each got a pair. The neat thing about them is being silk, they’re extremely lightweight – it’s almost like wearing nothing. But because they’re silk, they’re very warm. And also, since they’re silk, I can wear them to bed and they don’t get twisted up very much in the sheets while I sleep. It’s as much of a win-win as I can have without moving to a warmer climate.
Can you imagine how nice it is to get all snug and toasty warm to go to sleep when it’s below freezing outside? Ahhh, so thankful for my silky long-janes. :) If I could, I’d buy a couple more pairs.
If you’re interested, I got them at Land’s End. 🙂
The "Ness" in DarcNess ;) 
Correct me if I’m wrong, but don’t you live in the southern most point of the Great Lakes? Isn’t Chicago at the southern tip of Lake Floppy Dick, er, Michigan?
I used to work with this guy who was from Thunder Bay. That is a town at the northern end of Lake Superior, the northernmost point of the Great Lakes. This guy made me look like a whiny little sad-sack in terms of dealing with cold temperatures. You wanna talk cold, go to Thunder Bay. That’s cold.
You know what? I think you might actually Thunder Bay. But in the summer when it’s not snowing. Small town, close-knit community. Lotsa good hearted God fearing people. Lotsa of Finnish people up there so the men are all tall strapping blondes. I’ve never actually been. But I’ve heard good things.
Have you ever tried a sauna or steambath to keep warm in the winter?
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Oooh, those look comfy!
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Oooohhh… sauna! That’s one of the things I miss about my gym membership – the saunas. The dry one makes my lungs all irritated but the steam one? That’s heaven right there when you feel all the crap exiting your pores (which is one of WIGSF’s 7 orifices, if I recall correctly).
Those jammies sound absolutely wonderful. Luckily, Ben and I both sleep best when we’re slightly chilly so I don’t have to worry about fighting cumbersome layers or being cold. On a side note, I walked out of the house without my coat this morning because it was a balmy 34 degrees.
Glad you’re staying toasty!
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Sounds nice and toasty! Just how I like it!! Hope all is well. I’m thankful for quiet mornings that allow me to catch up. 🙂
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I’m thankful it’s 40 degrees here around Ft. Worth! Though, that’s somewhat cold for here right now. Staying warm is not a problem; I just pile on the blankets or turn on the electric one. I hate the ‘bunched up’ pj thing myself!
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Around here we say it gets “up to” 20 degrees. 🙂
Those silk jammie things sound pretty cool. I sleep in cotton sleep pants and they are always bound up in the sheets. It’s really annoying.
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I saw a guy on Monday coming out of the grocery store in shorts! And we are still having winter here as far as I know. :o)
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@WIGSF – Okay, Southern point, Northern Plains, whatever! Freaking cold, is what it is! Often it’s colder here than in Alaska, and many parts of Canada. That little town sounds cute. 🙂 Maybe we’ll visit there one day. But you can keep the men, I’m not into blondes. 😀 Nope, never a sauna or steam bath, just a regular plain old bath.
@Sherri – Oh they are! It’s like just a whisper of clothing, barely there. 🙂
@Kree – A balmy 34, hahahahahaha! See? That’s how people are when it’s been really cold any length of time. Cold starts to seem warm, just by comparison. Without a coat is fine, just please don’t do the short and sandals with the knee socks thing. 😉
@Jaymie – Quiet mornings are such a blessing, aren’t they? I love them too. 🙂 And thank you for catching up with me. *hug*
@Steve – 40 sounds pretty wonderful right about now. 🙂 You would not believe all the blankets I have piled up on my side. Being under the blankets is definitely much better than being twisted up in them.
@Yellowcat – Up to … LOL yeah, they say that around here too. How sad is that? Bunched up sucks. If you get the chance, I think you’d like those long underwear. They were designed to go under clothing without the bulk, but I think they’re awesome to sleep in too. 🙂
@MoM – ROFL See? I can’t make this stuff up! Those crazy shorts people! 😀
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