is it insensitive to be excited for snow at work?

by Alison Green on February 15, 2024

A reader writes:

I love winter weather and snow, always have. I live in a large city in the northern hemisphere, so it’s good I like winter since, you know, it’s a solid 4-5 months of my year. Due to global warming, though, our winter has been increasingly warmer and wetter, which drives up my excitement for a true winter snow when it finally arrives.

I was recently told my someone at work (above me in rank but not my supervisor) that being excited about our impending snowfall was “insensitive” as cold weather is a problem for so many people, ranging from annoyance (shoveling cars out) to actual danger for unhoused people. This made me see red, to be honest. Of course winter weather is dangerous for unhoused people, but so are heat waves and rain, and more importantly that fact never stops people at my office from being excited for warm weather in the summer or spring. Also whether I’m excited or not has no impact on people’s winter hardships, which is why I’m politically active and donate to causes to help unhoused people and others. But it does impact my ability to enjoy where I live for essentially half the year.

I’m not an idiot — if there’s a true blizzard or there are reports of frozen people/car accidents I’m not going to jump in with “but it sure is fun, amirite?” But this was at the end of a zoom meeting — when asked what I was looking forward to, I said “finally getting some snow! We’re so long overdue!” and mentioned some winter activities I enjoy. The other person responded by essentially telling me that was insensitive and immature as “adults recognize snow is not a good thing” and creates hardships for others. Is this correct? Should I not talk about liking winter at work? Does this apply to other weather — when coworkers get excited for hot weather should I tell them all the ways the sun and heat hurts me and ask them to be more sensitive? Am I right to be annoyed at this or am I missing some key thing other adults know?

What on earth.

You are right to be annoyed by this. Seeing red might be a bit of an overreaction, but certainly not more than scolding you for being excited about snow was.

I mean, I’m a redhead and the sun actively wants to kill me, but I don’t take issue with other people enjoying a sunny day.

You’re allowed to enjoy weather. You are allowed to talk about enjoying weather at work. Obviously if someone mentions some kind of cold-related tragedy, you shouldn’t respond with “but I’m so excited to go sledding!” but otherwise you are fine.

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{ 548 comments }

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    1. Czhorat*

      Exactly!

      There are plenty of not work-appropriate answers to “What are you looking forward to?”

      “Fundraising for the American Communist party”
      “Clubbing baby seals”
      “Key party with the neighbors”

      “I want to go skiing and build a snowman” is about as wholesome a weekend activity as I can imagine.

      1. Miss Chandler Bong*

        “Elsa!”

        *knock, knock knock knock, knock*

        “Do you wanna build a snowman?”

        sorry, couldn’t help myself.

        1. Annie*

          “Elsa!”

          *knock, knock knock knock, knock*

          “Do you wanna club baby seals?”

          sorry, couldn’t help myself.

          :)

      2. UpNorth*

        I worked in the Arctic for a while, and hunting seals and whales was definitely part of appropriate lunchtime chat! It was harder to get excited about snow, though.

        3. Phony Genius*

          It’s not funny to joke about bringing anybody underage to a club and corrupting their young minds.

          (Sarcasm tag for those who need it.)

          2. Windaria*

            Well, you do have to be at least 18 to join the Navy, so if it’s a club in a foreign country where the drinking age is lower…..

              1. Gumby*

                Google tells me it takes 12+ months to become a Navy SEAL so even if you joined on your 17th birthday, and that day happened to be the day you started boot camp, you’d still be at least 18 by the time you were a baby SEAL.

            2. Clubbing with Baby Seals*

              I had laughter tears earlier but your comment forced me into a state of hand-over-the-mouth-trying-not-to-scream-laughter. Ahhhh it’s been a long week, thank you.

        6. AnonORama*

          Ha, a friend of mine has a t-shirt that says “stop clubbing, baby seals” with a drawing of little seals drinking and getting down on the dancefloor. (The back said something “comma placement matters.”) And of course she got yelled at in the gym by someone who thought it was insensitive.

        7. EmmaPoet*

          I’m in. Dancing with baby seals is gonna be more fun than getting hit on by wandering drunk guys (who will hopefully be distracted by the cuteness and want to cuddle baby seals as well.)

        1. Resentful Oreos*

          Thank You!! I was really wracking my brain to remember his name, I tried to Google the quote and got horrible awfulness. I’m off to find all his stuff to erase my eyes!

    4. Kristin*

      seriously!

      If you live in a place with a serious winter, having a positive attitude towards it is a survival skill. It’s not insensitive to look on the bright side of meteorological events.

      (Source: I live in Montreal)

          1. jojo*

            There is an Ottowa in Minnesota. And Owatonna. And winter ain’t half so bad when you don’t have to shovel it. I’m presently living in the south. But Christmas is not quite the same without snow. And the sharp smell of pine.

      3. I used to live there*

        Vancouver reports in with: our winter has 100 shades of grey and 12 words for rain.

        Seriously, I miss the snow, but you guys can keep the slush.

        1. Paralegally Blonde*

          Neener neener from Florida! It has snowed at my home in the last 20 years — twice, adding up to zero accumulation. Winter weather is pretty much the reason Florida even exists. It’s strawberry season here, you know.

          Actually, I used to live in a Snowy Place. I miss winter and watching snow fall, sledding and skiing. I *really* miss autumn. I do not miss shoveling, snow chains, or the smell of wet wool.

          1. AF Vet*

            Yeah but you have to put up with 90+ degrees and 90% humidity far too many MONTHS of the year. Forget that noise! I prefer somewhere with all 4 seasons – even if we occasionally get them all in one day. :D

        2. cabbagepants*

          “Wintry mix” from the northeast USA. Which means — neither pretty snow nor cleansing rain, but some cold mushy sticky glop in between.

      4. Philosophia*

        Concurrence from the Upper Midwest! And if “adults recognize snow is not a good thing,” then adults must also recognize that, for example, bees, plants with pollen, caves, nonpoisonous snakes, cow’s milk, and indeed all foodstuffs are Not Good Things, because some humans have difficulties with them.

        Seeing red over such arrant idiocy as that self-righteous assertion isn’t an overreaction in my book.

        2. Hedgehog O'Brien*

          Concurrence as well! We have to have a positive attitude about the winter, otherwise we’d go nuts (I’m in Minnesota). Also…snow is definitely A Good Thing for nature and an important part of our ecosystem, and helps keep plants and animals alive during the winter? Like, it’s not objectively bad.

        3. J*

          Yea. I can definitely see why OP had such a strong reaction, because the admonishment came with an accusation of not caring about people who she really clearly cares about just based off a really innocuous and completely unrelated comment.

          Liking snow is such a ridiculously massive leap to disliking unhoused people that it would definitely feel very pointed to me.

      5. Hot Flash Gordon*

        I live in Minnesota and am very pleased with our very weird winter, but I get kind of excited about snow too. You really have to be otherwise no one would live here.

        1. winter has yet to come*

          our very weird non-winter (and Canada’s early ice melt) is having already devastating effects on the native and farmed greenery and all the businesses that rely on winter and non perpetual fire summer commerce. at work we’re already working on building volunteer crews to sandbag all the rivers bc the signs of intense flooding not seen since 08 are already there (no I don’t work for a nonprofit we’re just all aggressively involved in trying to make our state a better place). even the people who don’t like snow hope winter hits hard bc without winter this could collapse almost every major industry in the state. it’s truly concerning

          1. mymotherwasahamster*

            Exactly! My folks live in northern Michigan where they’ve had like 2 weeks of the winter weather that used to last 5-6 months. At this point snow would be a huge relief. Adults recognize that the ABSENCE of snow is alarming.

            1. rebelwithmouseyhair*

              Our daffodils are blooming, it’s mid February. Spring is supposed to be a joyful occasion, but when it comes six long weeks early, it makes me climate-anxious.

            2. AF Vet*

              In SD and same. Last year we had a showoff from an early December storm that finally melted in late April. This year? We’ve had no REAL storms and minimal snow. I’m hoping that Match and April hit like boulders… otherwise this whole area is a prairie fire away from being wiped out.

        1. Lauren*

          My grandfather was in charge of snow plowing in our city via phones and dispatching. He was called in up to 22 years after retirement every winter to run everything still. Finally my grandmother told the mayor “no more!” and then Papa was only called in for extreme storms that lasted days and the people who took over needed to sleep. Our out of the way residential street was always plowed while they were waiting for my grandfather to bundle up – he took his time :) for our street. My elderly uncles (in their 80s/90s) no longer snowplowed themselves, but if bored and new drivers were hired last minute, they also got picked up and would ride along explaining the routes and how to navigate the city based on road dips and where corners and rocks were. We knew by 10pm when school was closed because it was Papa’s decision and it was exclusive knowledge where everyone in our class would call us asking. He had to get to the hospital and roads leading to it by a certain time, if he did – we had school. If he didn’t, school was closed. He has been gone now 10 years, but it snows and I can’t help but think of him and smile. I miss both my grandparents so much. I laugh thinking about my grandmother scolding the mayor and whoever had the misfortune of being my grandfather’s taxi to pick him up all those years after he retired.

      7. Dog momma*

        Agree, we’re originally from WNY, 3 miles south of Lake Ontario. Since its always overcast and gloomy, snow always brightened things up. We aren’t talking about a blizzard or a nor’ Easter that’s bringing damage, power outages and general mayhem. it’s SNOW. The person saying the LW is insensitive, is himself waaay too sensitive!

      8. borealis*

        Agreement from 60°N. And winters with snow for only a few weeks, if that (which are becoming increasingly common) are so very, very dark – that’s something even snow haters tend to acknowledge.

      9. Lenora Rose*

        Honestly, right now I am *delighted* that we got some real snow (Winnipeg) because getting rain in February in Winnipeg was wrong… and also freezes overnight so walking was slippery as hell. Snow has this lovely thing called traction.

        (to be fair, the day right after the first snow, driving conditions were bad, but I still preferred that over walking conditions that resulted in multiple people falling. Including drivers walking through the parking lot.)

      10. EmmaPoet*

        Definitely. When snow starts falling in late September and doesn’t go away till April, you’d better have some coping skills or you’re going to be miserable.

      11. Caro*

        I love cold weather! I love sunny days! I do not love the idea of global warming or of anyone – anyone at all – battling hardship or for survival as a result of same.

        Surely this is a given? I can love going on holiday to sunny climes and get excited for snow without negating any of the really awful things that will surely happen?

        OP. Save this up, note it carefully and the very next time this person makes any mention of looking forward to a picnic or a sunny day or *anything* connected with weather… … ”gosh. The last time I mentioned being excited about weather you indicated it was immature and insensitive. At high temperatures, a lot of people, especially those who are unhoused, are likely to struggle with heat exhaustion and dehydration. I think it’s really quite insensitive to see a warm sunny day as fun when it’s a clear sign of problems for a LOT of people” then smile in a simpering way.

    5. Cold Snap*

      Right? It’s like THE work small talk. The person who made the comment to OP is the weird one, it’s not insensitive to say you like to go sledding. Ignore it.

    6. Whoa Nelly*

      ugh, not anymore. Weather forecasters on TV are getting threats. Not sure what we can talk about anymore.

      1. goddessoftransitory*

        Okay, I thought I’d heard everything…

        Exactly how does one threaten a weather forecaster? Do these people think said forecasters are literally casting spells to influence the climate??

        I mean, I am not surprised, not in the least. But honestly, the kind of person who would do this needs to start playing with string and rebuild their entire personality from there.

        1. Moonstone*

          There was a meteorologist that worked in Iowa and he actually had to quit and move to Massachusetts because he and his family were receiving threats based on his talking about climate change during weather forecasts. That story made the news. His name is Chris Gloninger if you want to look up the story. I read about it on NPR’s website.

    7. juliebulie*

      I mean, I hate snow with a passion. But I wouldn’t dream of pissing (or snowing) on someone else’s sleigh parade.

    8. Some Dude*

      I do think this coworker deserves an award for ability to turn uncontroversial thing into an opportunity to nag and prove they are more righteous. how exhausting.

        1. Caro*

          Oh absolutely this. ”But aren’t you concerned about the unhoused and heat exhaustion, dehydration? I sure am!”

          But be all faux concerned and perplexed.

      3. Csethiro Ceredin*

        This is it. So much ‘discourse,’ especially online, makes me want to shout “JUST LET PEOPLE LIKE THINGS!”

    9. Three Owls in a Trench Coat*

      I feel the same way. Weather shouldn’t be as sensitive as religion, politics, or even college football.

      When people find out that I lived around the Great Lakes for 10 years in my early adulthood, I often get, “How did you handle the cold?!”/”I bet you don’t miss shoveling snow!” or similar. They’re shocked when I respond that I like winter and the change of seasons and seem offended that I don’t love living in a sub-tropical city where it’s rarely colder than 50F/10C. More so when they learn I grew up here. It all feels very “I hate winter, so you have to hate winter too.” Winter’s not for everyone, but swampy sauna summers aren’t either.

    10. Artemesia*

      Just when you think things can’t get dumber, someone things it is insensitive to be delighted by the beauty of snowflakes. Gives new meaning to snowflakes.

      ‘Saying ‘Happy Birthday’ to Julie was sooo insensitive, are you not aware that Bill’s mother died last month and will have no more birthdays?’

      ‘You said ‘I’m getting coffee, anyone want anything? I can’t believe you were so insensitive to not realize that Shirley is Mormon and so can’t have coffee.’

      ‘Good morning?’ ‘What kind of monster are you; imagine the homeless in our city who are sleeping under the interstate — what kind of morning do you think they are having?’

      2. Rage*

        “Hello.”

        “You said hello? Didn’t you realize that the word starts with H-E-double-hockey-sticks and is clearly proselytizing AND foul language?”

        They would probably clutch their pearls if it weren’t for the fact that pearl cultivation can have a negative impact on the environment due to unsustainable oyster stocking density.

    12. Mmm.*

      I am so tired of everything being a “sensitive subject.” I don’t mean that in the “everything is so PC” way. I mean it in the “no one gets to enjoy perfectly innocent things” way. Like, just because someone is afraid of dogs, it doesn’t mean people don’t get to have or enjoy dogs anymore.

    13. Amythiel*

      When we had winter weather, my boss told us to stay home and break out our sleds! He lives where it’s 78 and sunny.

    1. Frodo*

      New Englander here and I was so happy to finally get a real storm!

      Bad weather is a hardship for many. So is affordable housing, healthcare, finding a job, making new friends…

      1. cloudy with a chance of flurries*

        New Englander here who apparently is NOT getting much if any snow, yet again. Enjoy it on behalf of your snow-deprived neighbors!

    3. Sheworkshardforthemoney*

      I love to shovel snow and welcome the chance but sometimes there is a limit, 3 feet is a bit much for one dump.

    4. Elbe*

      My big fluffy dog was THRILLED about the snow and he doesn’t have an ounce of ill will in his whole body. I want the LW’s coworker to try to tell him to his cute, furry little face that he’s insensitive.

      1. EmmaPoet*

        My husky neighbors response to snow is to be happy fluffy dogs rolling around in it all day long. Also my bulldog neighbor adores the cold as it is easier for him to breathe than when it’s hot.

    5. Marshmallows*

      My boss was super excited about the snow last night (I think that may have been why I saw him smile like 3 whole times today… he rarely smiles). I’m not a fan of it, it’s pretty but I hate driving in it. But I’m happy that my boss is excited about it. I can be happy he’s excited while also not loving it myself because that’s how adults actually are supposed to be. Haha!

      I love thunderstorms (not like super damaging wind ones), and I’m allowed to do so even if others don’t like them.

      1. Database Developer Dude*

        THANK YOU!!!!!!! An adult take on the situation, to be sure!

        It’s the same principle as that I find pineapple on pizza to be loathsome, but if someone else likes it, more power to them. As long as I am not required to eat it, no problems here.

        OP can be looking forward to the snow all they want, openly. As long as it’s ok for me NOT to be looking forward to it, all good. (I grew up in New England, and am sick of the snow).

  3. Zipperhead*

    Clearly, experiencing pleasure is unnatural and unwholesome. Cease feeling joy immediately, consumer!

    4. Rose*

      Adults know that the things that bother me are universally bad and it is not only incorrect but insensitive to enjoy them!!!

  4. Manic Pixie HR Girl*

    “I mean, I’m a redhead and the sun actively wants to kill me, but I don’t take issue with other people enjoying a sunny day.”
    Allison, I laughed out loud at this, because girl, same. My husband refers to me as the Irish Vampire, because I burst into flames when I enter sunlight!

    To OP: This is absolutely baffling to me. Maybe it is because I also live close to ski country, but I know a LOT of adults who absolutely DO NOT “recognize snow is not a good thing.” On the contrary, I know many ADULTS who will actively say they don’t care for winter weather but they’ll take a blizzard over a tornado or hurricane any day.

    1. Filosofickle*

      Right, snow’s not my first choice but I prefer it to hot temps and all other forms of precipitation! I would much rather deal with snow than rain. (Cool, crisp autumm is where it’s at for me. So I moved to San Francisco.)

      1. Just Another Cog*

        I would much rather deal with snow than rain, too! I live in the PNW and it has been raining way more than usual this winter and I’m so over it. A big snow dump would be welcome!

      2. So Tired*

        Cool, crisp autumn, and the general fear of an earthquake splitting the city open :D (I tease, of course, but everywhere has its weather drawbacks.)

    2. Sola Lingua Bona Lingua Mortua Est*

      Another redhead. My sentiments exactly. I could tan under a 25 watt light bulb.

      1. La Triviata*

        I’ve achieved a sunburn waiting at the bus stop (not sure if this is a comment on how pale I am or how bad the bus service). But I have redheads in the family and I got the skin but not the hair. sigh

        1. MillyB*

          Same. Brunette with the redhead skin. My sister got the hair color, I got the skin. I would get sunburned in PE class on a sunny day. ugh.

        2. Indolent Libertine*

          Another hand up for “skin but not the hair.” Only the freckles and the close personal relationship with my dermatologist.

        3. The Rise and Fall of Sanctuary Moon*

          Same! I just got back from Hawaii, where I religiously sunblocked all exposed skin…and sunburned through my shirt. Thanks, Day Star. Thanks a bunch.
          Everyone but me was sad to return to rainy cloudy PNW.

    3. sparkle emoji*

      The assertion that snow is a bad thing is also baffling to me. Snow should be neutral! It’s the weather, all weather should be neutral! The weather can have negative consequences, but that’s not the weather’s fault, @ LW’s Coworker. You can prefer some types of weather, but that is a personal preference, there aren’t objectively better weather phenomena.

      1. AnonForThis*

        I don’t think that’s true about weather phenomena that are considered natural disasters. “I’m really excited to board up my house and evacuate ahead of the oncoming hurricane with massive storm surge” or “It’s just perfect weather for supercell tornados, I’m loving it” is going to be terrible to say in the vast majority of workplaces.

        For less severe events, context is still key. “I hope we get more sunny and windy days like this” isn’t a good thing to say while there are uncontrolled wildfires in the area, just as “I’m really excited about this rain” isn’t great during massive flooding.

        “I’m going to [do an activity] in the snow” is not a faux-pas, though.

        1. Katie Impact*

          Yeah, we just had some seriously damaging storms in the area where I live, and it would probably be pretty off to sound too excited about it when people’s homes have been flooded by rain or crushed by falling trees. (I ended up being caught in my car during the storm and stranded for a while on a blocked road, and that was already a bit more of an adventure than I really wanted to have, even though it caused me no particular injury or expense.)

          But ordinary seasonal levels of snow for a location are not inherently a disaster, and only become one due to broader social problems.

      2. Bay Area FTW*

        Hot and humid is objectively awful – but I would just strongly disagree with someone who liked that, not tell them it’s insensitive to say so.

        1. DJ Abbott*

          Anything over 77°F is too hot for me, but I have several friends who love hot summer weather. I’m happy for them.

        2. StarTrek Nutcase*

          I will be happy to never experience snow again, but really like that others like it. I appreciate that there are people who will live in states I won’t. And I appreciate that some people can’t stand lots of heat and humidity, cause Florida is already too crowded for my taste. This LW has a ridiculous coworker who chooses to take offense.

      3. JustaTech*

        On the one hand, snow is a problem because it’s much harder to commute safely in the snow than an equal amount of rain.
        On the other hand, snow is essential to building the snow-pack which is necessary for not having the whole frickin’ state be on fire from March to November. (If you live in the West. Less so on the East Coast.)
        Precipitation falling as snow is also less likely to cause flooding (less likely, not impossible).

        So LW’s coworker is just plain wrong that *all* adults should think that *all* snow is bad.

    4. Dust Bunny*

      We had temperatures at or over 100 for literally months this past summer. I’ll take some snow, thanks.

      1. Bitte Meddler*

        We had a painfully long, painfully dry summer here last year, too. A mail carrier died from heat stroke. So did a couple of lawn care guys / construction workers. Our ERs were packed with people who had heat exhaustion and heat stroke. Huge, 50-80 year old trees keeled over from the heat and lack of water, taking houses and cars out with them.

        And yet…

        When people pop up in my online gardening groups on the rare day that our temps drop below freezing and wax longingly for summer, I do not call them insensitive. I do not tell them that “adults recognize that heat is not a good thing.”

        1. Perfectly normal-size space bird*

          Same. We had at least two summers in a row where the weather was significantly hotter than normal with a drought on top of it. It killed just about everyone’s home vegetable and fruit gardens. I live in a poverty-stricken area where people need those to survive. Even I rely on my garden to feed us through the summer. Last year was horrible and expensive and we’re bracing for another one like it.

          And to add to it, my dad has lupus and going outside in the sun even a fraction of the amount I do would literally kill him. But I’m not going to lecture someone who’s enjoying a nice sunny day because I recognize reality.

    5. just here for the scripts*

      Glad it’s not just me! Fell in love with my (now) hubby when he actively steered me into the shade on our first long walk in the city, saying he could smell my vampire skin burning in the sunshine!

    6. Princess Pumpkin Spice*

      So much this.

      I burn at the slightest mention of sunshine. I melt in temperatures over 75F. I do not enjoy summer, except that the rest of the world has decided that summer has “nice” weather and therefore plan things during these months.

      We just got snow and I was as giddy as a little kid.

    7. Laura*

      Yeah, the person who said that just doesn’t like snow and is trying to turn their personal preference into The Objectively Correct Opinion. Also, they probably spend waaay too much time online, because people online love tell people that enjoying an extremely benign thing is actually single-handedly causing large, systemic issues in society.

    8. HG*

      “Adults recognize snow is not a good thing” sounds like a startling and incisive take when you don’t think much about it. This person is probably pretty impressed with themselves for saying it.

      1. penny dreadful analyzer*

        If we want there to be an Objectively Correct Take That All Real Adults Know, I’d at least think it’d be that if you live in a climate that’s supposed to have snow, not getting any snow is objectively the bad thing!

        This kind of “well, snow is bad anyway, so actually it’s fine that it’s barely snowed in this corner of New England for three years” take is just climate denialism trying to pretend that it too is Science.

    9. McFizzle*

      I’m blonde, but my very light skin tone burns at the *thought* of the sun. 20 minutes will leave me in serious pain, BRIGHT red, radiating heat, and assured to peel within a few days, leaving no base tan. I’ve often referred to myself as part-vampire, and have stated my worst nightmare would be a black sand beach at high noon (with no shade).

      It’s somehow heartening to know there’s a community of vampiric sun-avoiders out there!

      1. Another Redhead*

        Black sand is hotter than the Hub of Hades to walk on, but surprisingly less sunburn-inducing. It absorbs the rays rather than reflects them. I tried it once (with foot protection!) and the reduction in sun sensitivity was noticeable!

        1. allathian*

          Yes, this. My redhead friend gets sunburn as soon as the sun comes out in winter if she doesn’t wear sunscreen. Snow reflects almost all the sunlight that hits it. Freshly fallen snow has an albedo of about 0.9, meaning that it reflects about 90% of all the light that hits it.

    10. Sasha*

      Live in the London, we haven’t had any proper snow since 2018 (I remember it because my son was just starting nursery). The entire city would be excited for a snowstorm. What we actually get is rain and high winds. Find me somebody who enjoys that.

      1. Jan*

        London resident here too, and it’s true, no proper snow since 2018’s Beast from the East! I’m a street musician so professionally I need it to stay dry, but personally I prefer rain over sun due to my pale Irish genes. #InnerConflict

    11. AcademiaNut*

      Not to mention that in some areas you absolutely need decent snow in the winter to build up the snow packs in the mountains, which is what provides water in the summer. Or where an extra warm winter causes the fruit trees to bloom to early, dying in the next frost. So regular winter weather prevents both drought and decimating the agricultural industry.

      1. Lenora Rose*

        On the prairie, the ground freezes worse without the layer of insulating snow, and even relatively dry frozen ground doesn’t take in new water, which means that when the snow thaws, it sits on the surface instead of sinking in, which means more flooding. (And the ground is probably saturated.)

        Also, I’ve heard that layers of ice make foraging much harder for herbivores that are already on the brink of starving by winter’s end than layers of snow.

    12. amoeba*

      Hah, yes. Can report from winter sports country that people care a lot about snow here. Like, snow reports on the news, etc. Too little of it is a huge problem! Not just for skiing (and tourism), but it’ll also mean not enough water during the whole year.

      So yeah, no, adults here definitely don’t agree.

    13. Dog momma*

      Currently live in SC , in horse country. Couldn’t deal with the snow/ cold anymore. Dogpoppa is on blood thinners. I’ve scraped my car windows every winter for several since we’ve been here.. daily this winter. It can get well below freezing. And it rains A lot during winter. We are the evacuation center for a major coastal city for hurricanes, so we don’t get them, just some wind and a lot of rain. Tornadoes are north and west of where we live, so yes I’ll take a hurricane rather than a blizzard or ice storm at this point. But lots of folks here go skiing in NC or elsewhere to enjoy the winter weather. Spring and fall are favorite months before sauna summer ..good choice of words there from a previous post…. & the rainy season

    14. Database Developer Dude*

      Well, if I stay home and have adequate supplies, and a generator in case power goes out, a blizzard is a lot less likely to kill me than a tornado or hurricane is….

    15. Perfectly normal-size space bird*

      I laughed at this too. When people question why I’m lathered in sunscreen, a sunshirt, and big hat, my little niece likes to matter-of-factly explain to that I’m a vampire.

    16. EmmaPoet*

      Not a redhead, but I live in big hats/parasols/sunglasses/loose clothing/enough sunblock for three small children on the very minimal exposed flesh that ever sees the sun all summer long.

      1. ferrina*

        I would second this.

        This coworker clearly can’t distinguish between a fact and an opinion. I’m guessing this person has other issues that show themselves.
        Either that or they have some serious trauma around snow?

      2. The Rise and Fall of Sanctuary Moon*

        I’d cut straight to “well bless your heart,” aka “You’re clearly an idiot and I’m not going to spend my precious energy having this argument with you.”

    2. Sloanicota*

      the ONLY thing I can think of related to this is that I realized (probably too late) as a young professional to hide my glee about snow DAYS, aka unexpected days off work – in the professional world, I was supposed to pretend to be concerned/saddened not to be advancing the big project or whatever, rather than yelling “snow day!!”! and sledding down the stairs. Anyway, we no longer get snow days since our office relaxed its work-from-home rules during the pandemic; if we can’t come in, it’s expected we’ll still be able to advance the big project remotely. Sigh. I mean, yay!

      1. Czhorat*

        Yes, but this seemed more like “I want to go snowboarding and build a snowman with my kids” rather than “SNOWDAY! Watch Netflix in my blanket fort and be SO GLAD I’m not at WORK”.

        1. i drink too much coffee*

          Ok but really, a Snow Day watching Netflix in my blanket fort and no work sounds truly amazing.

      2. Office Plant Queen*

        I’m probably not typical, but I would be charmed by a collegue who was that excited about getting a snow day from work! I’m not very exuberant, but I’d be just as excited myself.

        But also, who do you work with that they aren’t excited about a day off? Even if you love your job, work is still work.

        1. Sloanicota*

          Haha after careful observation, I believe that everybody *was* actually excited about a snow day, but instead they had to say, “argh, I’m so very busy and important, and have so many responsibilities, it is so inconvenient to be unable to get into the office today! Perhaps I can try the train …? no, no, that would be unsafe for others. Alas. I suppose there is no alternative, although my work is so necessary, than to stay home today and work even harder the rest of the week.” And then they would go taboggan down the stairs squealing.

        2. JustaTech*

          The only time I haven’t liked snow days is when it *should* be a snow day based on conditions and the buses aren’t running because the streets are unplowed (my city doesn’t get snow very often and our response used to be “give up and wait for it to melt”), but either I had an experiment with time points that my boss implied couldn’t be moved (it totally could have waited a day for it to be safe for me to drive in but he wasn’t going to tell me that), or the University was like “we’ve had too many snow days, you have to come in or use a vacation day”.

          Now that I don’t have to risk life and limb to get in to the office and can instead WFH when it snows, I’m back to loving snow (except that daycare is closed and lol to getting any work done).

    3. Whomever*

      Lots of Adults love skiing. I love a good snowfall, in fact on the sadly rare times these days we get a good one in NYC (where I live) I go take my cross country skies out to the park…

      2. sparkle emoji*

        I just like snow because it’s pretty and I’m a winter baby so it feels like my birthday. I guess I’m not an adult according to LW’s coworker, lol.

        1. Sasha*

          Apparently neither is anyone in my social circle. What kind of monster doesn’t like snow? That is like saying you hate fluffy bunnies, or birthday cake.

    4. MigraineMonth*

      The parts of the world that depend on snowpack for survival would like to disagree, as would everyone who depends on snow for a living.

      1. TW*

        My thoughts exactly. All the firefighters gearing up for early wildfire season would like a word with this person.

      2. Charlotte Lucas*

        This! If it snows regularly in your area, that snow is integral to the environment and to the crops grow there, too.

      3. Silver Robin*

        I was looking for this – snow is necessary and vital for lots of ecosystems, which include many many humans who need it for water later in the year.

        I too, say I love winter because I do! When it is snowy and hushed and glittery. But now it is warmer and all we get is freezing rain, miserable weather for me.

      4. Bread Crimes*

        Yeah, I was gonna say, I’m in an area that usually gets way more snow, has had a hideously dry and warm winter, and FINALLY got a bit of snowfall. I’m not even doing any winter sports, and of course I’m excited to get snow! It’s gonna be hell on our agriculture and wildlife both if we don’t get at least twice this much yet before spring!

        “Adults know snow is bad” is such a narrow-minded view. One might as well lecture everyone about how adults know that rain is bad because it can cause traffic accidents and flooding, so we should all just long for endless drought.

        1. Willow Pillow*

          Same! It was a warm December, sure, but we still have zombie fires after a horrible wildfire season and next year isn’t supposed to be any better. Just in Alberta, the equivalent landmass of Greenland burned in 2023!

          Adults know wildfires are bad. Snow helps to prevent wildfires.

      5. Hapless Bureaucrat*

        Hard agree. Adults over here, where it has been a bizarrely snowless winter, are concerned both about the impact to our economy, and about the spread of invasive species, impacts on spring moisture levels for agriculture and habitat, etc, etc, etc. It’s almost like our culture and environment are snow-adapted or something. What a thought!

        1. Margaret Cavendish*

          Upvoting for the comment, and also the username!

          I’m not a huge fan of winter personally, but I live in a climate that regularly gets snow – is supposed to regularly get snow – and the complete lack of it is pretty alarming.

      6. Chinookwind*

        This too. I look at our lack of snow this year (which my colleagues are happy about) and am dreading a summer of wildfires and drought. Snow is good.

      7. Anja*

        I just did a CTRL+F in these comments to see if someone was talking about snowpack. I live in a city where most of our drinking water comes from the river that flows through the middle. A lack of precipitation/snow means reduced snowpack, so who knows what’s going to happen to our water levels in the summer.

      8. Bibliothecarial*

        All the ol’ farmers in my town get pretty excited about snowpack! And they are quite adulty adults.

      9. Peaches and Scream*

        As someone who lives in the drought-ridden Western United States, and also as someone who hates snow…yes, I disagree. We need the snow. I’d rather not have the entire West catch fire next summer, thankyouverymuch.

        1. Actual climate scientist*

          Actual climate scientist here: yep we absolutely NEED snow (in the western US) more than rain, because the snowpack essentially acts as a reservoir for delayed water release. Which keeps rivers flowing and also recharges groundwater. When the climate warms and you get rain instead of snow, you don’t get that (instead you get floods!)

          And obviously all of this comes with the caveat that the weather is powerful and you must respect her. But that doesn’t sound like the case here!

          Final soapbox: it’s pretty interesting to imply that one only cares about the unhoused when it’s the acute condition of extreme weather, and not … all the rest of the time. Almost like adaptation (and resiliency, and equity/justice) are massively important to the issue of climate action because if we had those, then the impacts of the changes that are happening (and also just like the base state! Like how some places have always had hurricanes! but you don’t get situations like Maria without massive other human-caused structural problems!) would be less harmful…

          1. amoeba*

            Yes. And in addition to all that, my country also heavily relies on snow pack (new word learned!) for hydroelectric power during the year. That and apparently 60+% of the population ski, not even talking about how much of the economy relies on winter tourism!

            (Luckily, this winter hasn’t been as horribly dry as the last so far, hereabouts…)

    5. Elbe*

      I feel like the LW’s coworker is a generally a negative person or they are just going through something at the moment that is causing them to have a very skewed perspective.

      Either way, I think that the LW can just file this under “weird things other people think” and move on. It’s highly unlikely that the LW will encounter someone with this attitude again.

      1. Emily*

        I agree! I think it’s particularly ridiculous because LW was specifically asked about something they were looking forward to, and it’s not like LW brought it up unprompted (even if LW had, it should not have caused that kind of reaction from the other person).

        I live in a place that doesn’t get much rain, and we definitely get excited about it when we get some (snow is even more of a rarity and we get really, really excited when we get that).

    6. Flor*

      I’ve never had anyone phrase it like that to me (that is truly unhinged), but where I am in Canada it does seem to be taken as read that *obviously* hot weather is the best weather. We’ve had a scarily mild winter where I live and yet people were rejoicing that it was double-digits (Celsius) last week and are complaining that it’s now snowing – this is what it should be doing in February in Canada!

      1. AngryOctopus*

        That’s bad, because our 12″ of snow failed to materialize on Tuesday and on Wednesday I told a colleague that I was sick of no snow and moving to Canada.

        1. Divergent*

          I’m in a northy-western part of Canada and our ski hill has only been open for maybe a week total this winter. Wildfires are waking up because we’re snow-free several months early. So you may need to choose your Canadian location carefully.

      2. Buffalo*

        I am in what I assume is the same approximate part of Canada as you are. I hate snow and cold a lot, but from a climate-change perspective, I’m a little frightened of double-digit temperatures in February! So, yes, I’ll take the snow.

      3. Shan*

        Yeah, I always feel weird when I’m watching the news and they’re forecasting bizarrely unseasonably warm temperatures (and not just a Chinook) and then everyone at the desk makes small talk about how great it is. Uh, no, it’s scary.

        1. Chinook arch*

          In fairness, a person can easily hold both feelings at once. I’m in the same region you are, and most folks I know are scared and concerned but also kind of happy when the weather is a bit friendlier.

          1. Dog momma*

            I think of it as ” the January thaw”. which is a nice break from winter..but all this mild weather consistently is a concerning trend…

    7. duinath*

      wild, wild behaviour. adults apparently should recognize that this person Does Not Like thing, and that automatically means Thing Bad. hdu, op. better work out what they like to eat, so as not to be met with “no adult would eat egg salad” etc.

      that said, life is easier when we don’t let people get to us so easily. this is a “how very peculiar” thing, not an “i saw red” thing. maybe op was exaggerating, i do get that that happens, but if they weren’t, maybe work on that.

      1. sparkle emoji*

        Yeah, the seeing red bit feels like a strong reaction. I can understand it if the coworker went on a long rant about how LW is a Bad Person for liking the snow, but it’s still a strong reaction. In the future, I’d put them in the loon category and strive to not care about their opinion.

        1. GreyjoyGardens*

          I think it might have been the unexpected negative reaction that had LW seeing red. LW made what they thought was innocuous small talk, and Coworker went off on a nit picky, self-righteous tirade. I don’t know that I would “see red,” but I *would* feel shut down and condescended to.

          It’s good advice for LW to write this coworker off as a petty jerk (and maybe keep their interactions with them to only the necessary minimum), but, if I were LW, I’d feel blindsided and upset, too.

          Now you know what this person is like, LW, you can see them for what they are and keep everything to the polite and professional minimum required.

      2. Pro No-er*

        Let me start by saying I am a leftist, and for many leftists, liberal is an insult. Not to deep dive into the reasons for that, but there is a kind of liberal that thinks if they aren’t objecting to something people enjoy by mentioning how it might impact the marginalized, they aren’t liberalling correctly. This feels a LOT like that. It reminds me of one of the Great Twitter Meltdowns where a figure well-known in some circles decided to die on the hill of reading is elitist and that encouraging people to read was a problem. Not unlike the Sandwich Conundrum here.

        1. Random Dice*

          “I am a leftist, and for many leftists, liberal is an insult.”

          I’m not sure that’s as universal of a position as you think. You may read and talk in one of those weird algorithm-driven bubbles that we all occasionally find ourselves in, in this weird world.

        2. penny dreadful analyzer*

          I mean, a lot of leftists do that, too, especially online. I tend to think any kind of online-only leftist is in fact doing a liberalism by being online-only, and succumbing to the notion that politics are something you have and talk about instead of something you do, but the “I’m A Better Anarchist Than You” and “Ruthless Criticism of Everything Existing!!!1!!1!” flavors of exhaustingly judgmental lifestyle politics have existed right alongside the more openly pious-liberal-flagellation-flavored kind for quite a while, and unfortunately sometimes they even do get offline and into real-life organizing spaces.

          Like you can tell someone who IDs as an ancom (or whatever) that they’re acting like a big radlib when they behave like that, and you’ll be right. But the fact remains that they’ll get mad, because they weren’t acting like that because they thought if they didn’t they wouldn’t be liberalling correctly–they were doing it because they thought if they didn’t, they wouldn’t be ancomming correctly.

        3. Twitchy Eyelid*

          Never Forget that time when Twitter also melted down over how it was ableist, etc. etc. to make chili and bring it to your neighbors.

          I do wish those folks could find their own deserted island and spend the rest of their lives happily, contentedly cancelling one another over unforgivable acts of aggression towards the marginalized such as daring to enjoy cold weather, or hot weather, or cooking at home, or going to restaurants, but…I think Twitter IS that island.

          1. Pro No-er*

            Ah, yes. One of my favorite meltdowns that was as baffling as it was entertaining. See also: If You Like Charcuterie, You Are an Elitist Snob that eventually devolved into If You Own Anything Nice, You Are Part of the 1%.

            1. Beacon of Nope*

              Now I’m dying to read some of these meltdowns (including the one about reading is elitist). Do you have links to any (preferably all!) of them?

    8. Telephone Sanitizer, Third Class*

      That’s just such a weird thing to say. The skiing industry would disagree.

      1. blue rose*

        Not even just pleasure industries like skiing, but lower-than-expected snowfall exacerbates drought conditions in areas that historically had that snowfall to rely on for water, for, you know, supporting life.

    9. goddessoftransitory*

      I guess by “adults” this person means “joyless prigs with sticks up their butts that take anybody’s pleasure in anything as a personal offence but frame it as ‘politically insensitive.’ ”

      That guy sounds like a right wing’s version of “woke,” honestly.

      1. sparkle emoji*

        Yeah, the reasoning feels like an SJW caricature from when that term was the “left gone too far” shorthand du jour.

    10. Twix*

      This is absolutely bizarre. I have a chronic illness that’s always worse when the weather is cold, which makes this time of year hard for me, especially because I used to love winter and be a black diamond skiier. I’m still an adult capable of recognizing that not everyone’s experience is exactly the same as mine. It’s really, really, really normal for adults to like snow, and it’s really, really, really weird to take issue with that fact.

    11. Sis Boom Bah*

      Nevermind the fact that snow is indeed a good thing — it’s important to agriculture and helps us avoid drought conditions. I’m not super into it but I don’t fault others for finding joy in it.

    12. Carrots*

      It’s also simply wrong. Snow is essential for rivers to even exist. Without snow, most ecosystems in traditionally snow-frequented areas are in big trouble.

    13. Festively Dressed Earl*

      If adulting means finding a nitpicky way to be negative about everything anyone else says, I’m glad I opted out.

    14. Laura*

      It’s like people who say it’s childish to like sweet things. No it’s not, you just don’t like sweet things that much and probably didn’t like them that much even as a kid, but liked them more than you do now, so you assume it’s a maturity thing when it’s just a you thing.

      1. goddessoftransitory*

        Exactly. I suppose if you only ate sweets while playing tea party with your stuffed animals this argument might hold some weight, but sweets in and of themselves aren’t marked ‘must be abandoned at puberty’ or anything.

    15. Roy G. Biv*

      I live in the snow belt. I have NEVER heard someone say “Adults recognize snow is not a good thing.” Snow is precipitation that is frozen, rather than in the liquid state. Doesn’t our planet need precipitation?

      1. MigraineMonth*

        Also, if you think that snow is bad, may I introduce you to something we like to call “mixed precipitation”. I’m betting snow causes far fewer car accidents and deaths due to exposure than freezing rain or ice storms.

        1. La Triviata*

          We get “wintery mix” and black ice on the roads. Along with warnings that bridges, overpasses, etc., freeze before the roads.

          2. Lydia*

            Definitely a lot of wintery mix here, and no matter what, snow will always become ice.

            Personally, I like the description of rain and sleet and snow as wintery mix. It sounds tasty.

    16. Chinookwind*

      My automatic response would probably have been “then why do you live here?” I am not trying to be rude, but literally half the planet does not have snow. I live in Canada and there are parts here that have it in large amounts so rarely that they shut down for it (or worse – call in the army to dig them out, which they will never live down).

      And when I hear an immigrant say they wish it wouldn’t snow (like some of my colleagues), I will point out that they made the choice to move here over stay where they were (with no snow) or move elsewhere , unlike those of us who were born here.

      Part of being here means learning to live with the snow and cold for 6 months. We have snow activities, we dress for the weather and we glory in a sparkly, snow covered world where the air is crisp you can hear a whisper across a park or lay back and enjoy the Northern Lights.

    17. SpatulaCity*

      it would depend on where you live and your industry. I know plenty of plow truck drivers that love a snow day, because they get paid by the storm. there’s also many small towns that only see tourists when they come up to ski, so if too warm or no snow, there’s no one skiing or otherwise in town to shop. there’s whole economies that rely on snow days.

    18. Claire*

      If you live within a couple hours of a ski hill, offices and classrooms are much emptier the day after a big snowfall! Hell, I let my (high school age) kids claim one ski day per winter where they can skip class and go ski. Winter is dark and gloomy, skiing and snow fun is a bright spot in the long cold slog until spring!

    19. Ghostlight*

      “Actually adults recognize that the fact that places run hotter than ever before and get less precipitation is a bad thing because global warming is a problem.” is probably the correct response. (And would be the fantastic one I came up with in my head after dwelling on this infuriating discussion for at least an hour after it happened…)

    20. Angstrom*

      “…snow is not a good thing” Unless, of course you’re involved in the winter sports or winter tourism industry, which is a LOT of people in my area. If it’s going to be cold we want the snow to go with it.

    21. Seeking Second Childhood*

      Before my company was acquired by a mega corporation, the company president once greeted us at the door on an extreme snow day— as giddy as a schoolkid, and excitedly asking about our drives.

      So we are not the only ones who like snow despite the extra work involved.

    22. Mr. Mousebender*

      I’m guessing that maybe Co-Worker has been nursing a strong dislike of OP and is now fully in B***h Eating Crackers territory. This seems like a really strong overreaction to an innocuous remark.

      1. RLC*

        Think you’ve hit the nail on the head! Once had a colleague go on a long tirade about how ugly my new car was. Tirade was so intense, made me wonder what level of unspoken resentment colleague held toward me. Dude, you don’t have to look at my car, you can ignore it.

    23. Sleeve McQueen*

      This is so dumb I feel like it needs to enter the pantheon of AAM catchphrases along with cheap ass rolls

    24. AnonORama*

      Totally. Very few people hate snow and cold more than I do, but I realize other folks like it and that’s cool!

  7. LimeRoos*

    Lol I am also excited about the snow. We got 4-5 inches tonigth and it’s gorgeous. Nice fluffy pretty snow. Which we haven’t had all winter either, it’s been very blah and gray and drab so far.

    2. MigraineMonth*

      Snow during the darkest part of the year is extra sunlight and allows for a bunch of outdoor activities. It’s a great treatment for my seasonal depression as long as I insist on living so far from the equator.

      1. LimeRoos*

        Yes! Totally agree!
        And not just because I just finished snowblowing, walked inside, and found out exactly how blindingly bright it is outisde lol. I should’ve worn sunglasses – it took a few minutes to see clearly inside.

      2. Tau*

        Yeah, I rejoice in snow whenever we get it because it means everything is not gd grey all the time anymore.

    3. Biology Dropout*

      Hi neighbor! (I assume). Pulled my kids to school in a sled today for the first time this year, it was glorious. It’s much scarier for the world as a whole when we don’t have snow here!!

      1. LimeRoos*

        Hi neighbor! Hooray for sleds!! And totally agree, it’s very uncomfortable without the usual winter pattern.

    4. MEHSquared*

      Same. I live in a suburb of St. Paul, and we’ve been promised snow so many times this winter–only to get maybe a dusting most of the time. So, yesterday, with predictions of 1-5 inches, I mentally prepared myself for a dusting. Then it started snowing. And snowing. And snowing! It was so beautiful as it fell (it was also gray and miserable here before), that I felt my heart lighten as I watched it. We got maybe 2-3 inches in total, which was a pleasant surprise.

      I will say that like the OP, I love winter and the cold, but I smile and make polite noises in the spring and summer when it’s hot out and people are excited because that’s the civil thing to do. In return, those people can nod and smile when I say that I like winter and snow. I will add, it’s not as if I go on and on about it; I know how most people feel.

      To the OP: I used to get negative comments on my FB wall when I was joyous about a snowfall. It’s not the reason I quit social media, but I certainly didn’t miss it when I was gone. Enjoy your snow! I certainly am enjoying mine.

      1. LimeRoos*

        Hahaha yes! I’m over in Maple Grove so I feel you. This winter has been so weird. I’m so happy we finally had a pretty snow that actually did what it should. I think we’re at 4 inches, but I’m not sure. The roads had more than our driveway. Funnily enough I just finished snow blowing the driveway – first time we got it out all winter.

        Your middle paragraph is spot on!

        Happy snowfall!!

        1. MEHSquared*

          Howdy neighbor! You’re REAL close to me. Same situation that my driveway probably didn’t get as much as the roads. So probably 3 or 4 inches overall.
          At any rate, hopefully, it’s not the last significant snowfall of the season. And, yes, it was/is so prretty!

      2. Bread Crimes*

        I wave from over in Minneapolis and being so glad for the snow we finally got.

        I turn absolutely miserable in temperatures over about 65F, and I don’t like even that warm when the sun is out too, but I don’t go around yelling at people for saying “What a nice sunny day!” while I’m slathering on sunscreen, deploying floppy hats, and trying to scurry through the shade from one climate-controlled building to the next.

      3. Toddler Mom*

        Ha, same! My toddler has been asking for weeks to “go outside, play in snow?” and she finally gets to!

    5. Former Red and Khaki*

      Are you in my neck of the woods?! Lol. It kind of sucked driving in to work this morning – the roads were plowed but icy – but I was really surprised how happy I felt that the outside finally looked like it’s supposed to this time of year. I mean, it RAINED on Christmas for god’s sake. I’m originally from Kansas, and that’s pretty typical for that area in December, so it felt kind of nostalgic – but after being in the great white north for over twenty years it also felt SO wrong.

      1. LimeRoos*

        Probably! Or close to it lol. I wfh to luckily don’t have to deal with it. But my husband did, and agreed the main roads were clear but so icy. Side streets were great though. We were visiting fam for Christmass and it was 50+ the whole time we were there. In Chicago. I had my own little Christmas celebration with hubby and dog like a week later lol. Way too warm for this time of year for me.

    6. TPS Reporter*

      me too! And a lot of my co-workers get grumpy and roll their eyes when I express this excitement. It is winter, and we live in the northeast, snow is a thing that happens every year, but like this OP my area too has seen less and less snow in the past few years. So I’m sorry I get excited and I don’t mind if I get weird looks. I am happy no one expresses the sentiment that I’m being in appropriate! that’s just too much.

  9. AlwaysEditing*

    I’m a chionophile. Snow is important! As are cold temperatures. People who think a warming climate is “nice” don’t understand the complexities of ecosystems.

    1. BellaStella*

      Thank you for teaching me a new word:
      chionophile
      noun
      Any animal that thrives in winter conditions, especially one that thrives in snow.

    3. Miss Chanandler Bong*

      I think the mistake people make when talking about climate change is assuming that “oh, it’s cold, that’s the way it’s supposed to be.” The average temperature of the earth has increased by about 2 degrees Farenheit since 1880. That isn’t necessarily even around the earth. Some places are getting warmer while others are getting colder. Neither is good. That’s why scientists have referred to it more recently as “climate change” instead of “global warming” because it’s a misnomer in some areas.

      OP’s coworkers are still ridiculous. I absolutely hate the cold, and when our temperatures here weren’t going above the 20s, I became a hermit, and I very much enjoyed our unseasonably warm Saturday last week (which our weather records show we have always had bipolar weather, so I don’t feel THAT guilty for enjoying it.) But that’s why I don’t live too far north. If OP’s coworkers really hate the snow that much, maybe they should consider moving. If not, then learn to live with it and don’t begrudge people who do enjoy it, even if you are secretly questioning their sanity

      (Just joking on that last point. Halfway).

        1. BubbleTea*

          A chinophile is presumably someone who likes slim-legged cotton trousers, which aren’t ideal for snowy weather!

    5. Corporate Lawyer*

      Fellow chionophile here who is having a great day: I got to learn a new word, AND we’re supposed to get more snow tonight! (I’m in northern Vermont)

      OP, you’re fine. Your coworker has a weird quirk that they’re choosing to be a jerk about; it’s about them, not you.

    6. Cat Tree*

      I can hate snow and cold weather while still feeling horrified that we no longer get it. I don’t have to *like* something to recognize that it’s overall a good thing to have it.

    7. Parttimer*

      I live in the Rocky Mountain west and if anyone complains about snow, it’s always met with a chorus of “But we need it!!” (to reduce the severity of the fire season). Snow is so important, and complaining about here would be seen as ungrateful! (Doesn’t mean I don’t get a bit tired of it though come April).

    8. blue rose*

      For real. That kind of stuff reminds me that every so often, some underinformed newbie will post on succulent/cactus enthusiast forums with something like “climate change cons: humans struggle to survive; climate change pros: more places we can grow cactus/succulents” and then all the even marginally more knowledgeable people will come in with “Wrong, climate change is destroying the habitable range for cacti and succulents, so it’s just cons, especially for growing cacti and succulents.”

  10. mango chiffon*

    I love snow and have been so disappointed that the multiple inches of snow we were promised this winter have not arrived. I hate the summer because it’s so humid here and I sweat. A lot. I feel like this is a bit of “what about me” going on that I see happening a lot on the internet these days. Enjoying snow does not mean you hate people who are unhoused. As a Twitter post once said, that’s a whole new sentence.

    1. Charlotte Lucas*

      There are some people who are bound and determined to be offended. It wouldn’t surprise me if that manager also takes umbrage with other innocent pleasures.

      1. Emily*

        It’s sort of like the “not everyone can eat sandwiches” rule that this site has.

        LW: I like sandwiches and I’m looking forward to eating one.

        Co-worker: How dare you! Not everyone can eat sandwiches.

        1. Beth*

          Thoughts and prayers for everyone who doesn’t have a sandwich! And everyone who would like a sandwich and can’t have one! And my poor old granny who was tragically crushed by a giant sandwich!

      2. goddessoftransitory*

        That manager has so many sticks up his nether region he could build a log cabin in his butt.

    3. SimonTheGreyWarden*

      Yeah, I hate summer humidity. I got heat exhaustion a few years back and every year it seems like I’m more and more prone to it again.

  13. Yup*

    I mean, having snow means that climate change hasn’t completely messed up our weather (yet), so finding joy in snow is a GREAT thing. Not wanting snow when you’re an adult is akin to wishing the planet just gets hotter and hotter until its unlivable because you don’t like shoveling. Or something.

    1. JB (not in Houston)*

      Yes, exactly. I hate snow, but snow happening in places where snow is supposed to be is a good thing for this reason!

      1. MigraineMonth*

        Yeah, I wouldn’t express excitement for snow in places where it’s so rare there aren’t any snowplows and the effort to keep homes heated takes down the electrical grid.

        Snow where it is expected, though, it’s a really good thing!

        1. Kyrielle*

          I’m in one of those places, and I’m excited for snow – which we should get 1-3 times a year, with one of those sticking enough to shut things down until our small supply of plows deals with it or (more commonly) it warms up and melts off.

          I’d be concerned if we suddenly had the winter I remember from the 1990’s in the midwest, where you’d go several months without the snow melting because it was never above freezing; that’s wrong for our area. But we should get some, just not enough to justify the cost of a massive fleet of plows.

          On the other hand, an ongoing storm with a lot of freezing rain and ice buildup? Occasionally expected here, but not my favorite thing.

        2. Seconds*

          Oh, I live in the place that famously had a major power failure a while back because of cold and snow. And I think most of us still get excited about the idea of snow.

          We’re also a lot more wary than we used to be, I admit! But still excited.

    2. learnedthehardway*

      Seriously – the weather has been VERY WEIRD, and it’s messing up the wildlife and plants. Last week, it was warm enough to go out without more than a light jacket (IN CANADA). All the birds and small critters got excited about spring, and my flowers were starting to come up. There were buds on trees. This week – we’re back to a snow storm and my kid is finally wearing the hat I knit him. I don’t see how the birds, critters, and plants are going to survive this.

      Snow is SUPPOSED to happen in winter. Bring it on! (Well, bring on normal weather patterns, I mean.)

      2. Happy Camper*

        Yep where I am in Canada we had unseasonably warm December and Jan causing fruit trees to start to bud. Followed by a cold snap that was way closer to the normal temps annnnddd killed all the new buds. Some Orchards are reporting 100% losses.

    3. Silver Robin*

      I feel like such a Debbie Downer because my friends and coworkers rejoicing at 50+ degrees in February just makes me despair. It is unnatural, it is a sign of worse to come. And I miss my snow…

  14. A CAD Monkey*

    Living in the Southern US, I can count on 1 hand the times I’ve seen substantial snow (and not use all fingers at that) in the past 40 years. Most people I know would be excited for snow. we typically get freezing rain or sleet. that person needs to shut their mouth and let people enjoy what little we can enjoy in this world. Whataboutism needs to just go away

    1. Lady_Lessa*

      Being a former Southerner, I always temper my enjoyment of the snow and admit that it is very different down there. I definitely prefer snow where we have the ability to handle it. (Not to mention my driving skills are better now)

    2. Panicked*

      I’m a northern state who was transplanted to the South. I grew up with white Christmases, Halloween costumes that fit over snowsuits, and Easter dresses that were long enough to be seen under a winter coat. I’ve lived south of the Mason-Dixon line for the past 15 years and get ridiculously excited when snow is in the forecast. We get ice annually, but there’s just something about seeing the flakes fall from the sky that gets me all happy.

      That being said, most of the South is in absolutely no way prepared for winter weather. It always cracks me up when schools are closed for a flurry or two. But you’ve never seen joy like a kid (or an adult!) sees snow for the first time! Let people like what they like for goodness sake!

  15. Yes And*

    I feel this OP so much. I live in an apartment building where unionized paid staff does the shoveling, and a short walk from a park with an amazing sledding hill. On Tuesday, my coworkers in the burbs were complaining about having to shovel, and I was all, “But my kids get to go sledding for the first time in two years!” (In my head. I did not say this out loud.)

  16. Elbe*

    “I’m a redhead and the sun actively wants to kill me”

    I come here for the advice, but the humor is also A+

    1. AnonForThis*

      Fellow redhead with a real love-hate relationship with the sun. I love it and need it to treat my depression. Unfortunately, I have a skin type that can best be described as “combustible”, and every time I have a migraine the sunlight is like a spike hammered through my eye and into my brain.

  17. Caramel & Cheddar*

    I literally just looked out my window and smiled at the snow coming down as this came up on my Twitter feed, so I share your excitement.

    I also live in the north where winter can be long. We’ve had maybe a week of weather since the start of December that I would genuinely consider to be winter temperatures, but otherwise it’s been unseasonably warm for most of the season (hovering above / dipping below around freezing for the most part). You know what’s going to be tougher than getting winter? Not getting it because of climate change and how disastrous that’s going to be for the broader planet.

    So while I appreciate that a lot of people aren’t comfortable with cold weather for a variety of reasons, it feels a bit short sighted to get mad at people for getting excited about the existence of snow during the season snow is supposed to make an appearance.

  18. Eldritch Office Worker*

    “adults recognize snow is not a good thing”

    Get bent, coworker. Let people enjoy things.

    1. Hills to Die on*

      Right? I am sure the others on the zoom call were thinking ‘OMG whatever, Curmudgeon’.
      I used to work at a retail location that had an all-store PA system. Someone used it once to announce to all customers and staff that it was snowing and yes it was exciting. First snowfall of the year in a ski town. Being an adult excited for snow is awesome and adorable.

    2. Pastor Petty Labelle*

      YES. This is the in person equivalent of the internet. How dare you enjoy something.

      Remember the lady who innocently posted how she liked to sit in her garden and sip coffee while — gasp — talking to her husband in the morning? She got absolutely roasted for enjoying some quiet time.

      Same thing. Look I hate cold and only enjoy the snow when I don’t have to be in it. But you know what — even I push back on making learning virtual on those days. Let people have fun for heaven’s sake. Life is grim enough. Stop trying to suck all the fun out of it.

    3. Chauncy Gardener*

      Geez Louise! What the heck is wrong with people? Is this some kind of warped virtue signaling? “We’re not allowed to enjoy anything, EVER, because there are unhoused folks, wars in places, famines in other places, etc” OK. So let’s all just lie down and die then and not enjoy the occasional wonderfulness of just being alive.

      1. Ama*

        Pretty much, yeah. I’m wondering if coworker spends a lot of time online — this kind of “I’m a good person because I think of people who are suffering, you’re not because you’re trying to find joy somewhere” BS is infecting a lot of places online.

      3. In My Underdark Era*

        counterpoint: we’re also not allowed to be unhappy with anything, EVER, because there are unhoused folks, wars in places, famines in other places, etc. expressing frustration with your problems is fundamentally a failure to acknowledge your privileged position.

        scolded if you do or if you don’t, lol.

      4. goddessoftransitory*

        Basically, yes. It’s the Virtue Olympics where you compete over who hates everything pleasurable most–the Puritan ethos strained through “performance activism.”

    4. AngryOctopus*

      I am 1000% the person who would have unmuted and said “Not me! I want to go snowshoeing!!!!”.

    5. Ellis Bell*

      I kind of want to know what the genders are here, because wow being scolded on liking your favourite weather and being told it’s not “adult” would have me looking for other flags if it came to me from a guy, especially That Guy. Regardless, this is so patronising and downright ragey, that no matter what the gender combination is, as OP I’d be proceeding with full caution and no trust whatsoever after such unfiltered contempt. What on earth.

      1. Eldritch Office Worker*

        If a man spoke to me this way I would not be able to keep my decorum. I was picturing a 20-something chronically online woman, personally.

      2. GreyjoyGardens*

        I agree with you – one, if Prig were a guy and LW female or female-presenting, there’s the whole added mansplaining element. And the “now you know what Prig is really like, proceed with caution and handle with care” is very good advice.

  19. Jessica Clubber Lang*

    It could be he’s related to the Norwegian ski jumper who crashed and became a legend on Wide World of Sports, and he experienced negative repercussions.

    Other than that it makes absolutely no sense and you should ignore him

    1. GreyjoyGardens*

      The agony of defeat!

      There was a documentary on this guy years ago, and apparently he hung up his skis (understandable) and picked up a paintbrush instead, and has become a very good landscape painter. (If this is the same guy we are thinking of!)

  20. Clydesdales coconuts*

    ummmm..wow.. that is like telling someone who is enjoying cake that they shouldn’t because diabetes, obesity, and those who do not know how to bake a cake find it to be a health hazzard or difficult task to overcome-therefore no one over the age of 7 should ever enjoy cake!

        1. goddessoftransitory*

          My favorite will always be the Simpsons version, for my favorite line: Krusty the Clown saying “…boy, that just kept goin’, huh?”

  21. Sunny*

    Would the adults who recognize the evils of snow be the same adults who’ve settled most of the northern hemisphere? And that was before we even had central heating or snow blowers?!

    1. Cj*

      the reference to the Northern Hemisphere was so odd to me. only the northern part of the northern hemisphere gets snow, and the southern hemisphere also gets snow, just at a different time of year.

  22. online millenial*

    Look, I actively hate winter. It makes me physically, mentally, and emotionally miserable. (I also live in Chicago. I recognize my role in my own suffering.) And yet!!! Even I enjoy a nice snowy winter day. I’m extra-appreciative of them after the unsettlingly warm winter we’ve had. The idea that no adults should ever enjoy snow is bananapants.

    I’d personally be tempted to do as you suggested and start pointing out all the horrors of warm weather whenever this person expresses excitement about it, but I doubt they’d get the hint.

    1. Kathenus*

      I’m your exact opposite, and heat/humidity do the same things to me. And I live somewhere with (to me) miserable summers so also have a role in own suffering – due to living here for my career. So in the winter I joke with people about it, they complain about the cold and I say I love winter, but don’t worry I’ll be just as miserable in six months during the summer when most other people are happy. Generally that gets a smile and we all go on about our day. Ignore your grump.

    2. Jaydee*

      I hate winter for similar reasons (and also have always lived in the Midwest so really have myself to blame). But I can find small joys in winter weather. Fresh snow is pretty. I like shoveling if it’s not too much snow or too cold out.

      And I’m about to say probably the most Iowa thing I’ve ever said…what about the farmers? We had some pretty bad drought in a lot of the state last summer. Snow cover helps protect plants from the cold. It melts and builds up groundwater and rivers and streams and reservoirs. It’s good for crops. It’s good for fishing and recreation. It’s good for communities that rely on groundwater, rivers, and reservoirs for their drinking water.

      1. allathian*

        Snow and cold are also good because they help eliminate pests.

        I’m in Southern Finland (60 N) and we still have snow every winter. Shoveling is a great cardio workout in moderation, I only get sick of it if we get more than two inches at a time and my husband’s traveling on business.

        We got about three inches on Wednesday and I was glad that our son was at home when my husband was away, our buses were on strike and my husband had the car, so the teen had to stay at home and just did the homework he was assigned and some schoolwork. He did most of the hard shoveling, at 14 he’s stronger than I am and a lot fitter, too.

  23. Cubicles and Chimeras*

    As a Winter Person who has not had snow until just now, the audacity of this coworker. Celebrate the snow! Talk more about your absolute love of skiing, snow shoeing, winter hiking, fat tire winter biking, ice skating, ice hockey, broomball, ice sailing….

    I’m petty though. So I’d absolutely wait until this coworker talks about their plans for a beautiful summer day and bring up the impact of heat waves for people without air conditioning and homeless people.

    Just remember summer people, you can always put on more layers but you can only get so naked.

    1. mango chiffon*

      Your last sentence is my constant thought in my incredibly humid city. I take public transit and walk to work and every day I go into the office in the summer I am a hot, sweaty mess. I can’t come to the office in a t-shirt and shorts, and even then I’d be sweating through my shirt! My only source of hope is the chargeable USB electric fan I carry with me every day.

      1. Cubicles and Chimeras*

        I used to walk to work every day, so I completely understand. Winter was mostly fine except the occasional “may get frostbite if outside for more than 15 mins” type of days. Summer though, even for someone who started at 6 am, some days I’d be so gross coming into the office… I hope things look up for you some day.

  24. Ashley*

    The only context where I could maaaaybe see it being reasonable to say something like that is if you literally work somewhere where those concerns are part of the job (ex. a nonprofit who helps the homeless might be a weird place to discuss loving snow that way if a lot of the company projects and/or meetings are based around the dangers of snow). Otherwise, geez.

  25. DG*

    “Thanks for the feedback. I’ll stick to only talking about politics, religion, and sex from now on.”

  26. Brain the Brian*

    I have trailmaps from multiple ski areas hanging on my cubicle wall. Winter is my one little slice of joy in this increasingly miserable world. OP, enjoy your snow. :)

  27. Not on board*

    I don’t like snow, or the cold, and I’m quite sensitive to it. But I live in Canada where it’s inevitable. I also hate extreme heat and humidity too so I’m obviously pretty picky.

    But I have zero problem with someone being excited for the snow, or the heat, or any other kind of weather. The person telling the OP to be an adult is surely showing their own immaturity. My supposedly indoor Boston Terrier loves fresh snow and despite personally not being a fan, I love watching her bounce around the backyard in freshly fallen snow.

    1. Sasha*

      Move to the UK! The weather is consistently 10-15C here, all year round.

      It’s also grey and drizzly, and gets dark by 4pm in winter. But it’s never actually hot or cold here.

  28. Kalros, the mother of all thresher maws*

    “Adults recognize snow is not a good thing” is an unhinged string of words. You’re fine.

    1. soontoberetired*

      also, living in the draught stricken midwest – snow is needed, snow is good! Snow to have water in the ground for spring plowing! Snow for protecting the ground from getting too frozen if we hit under 20 for an extreme length of time. Snow is better than icy rain in winter!

      1. goddessoftransitory*

        Without snowpack the Chinook salmon cannot run, meaning the local orcas starve to death. Most adults recognize snow as a GOOD THING around here.

    2. Czhorat*

      I wonder if there’s some reason; that the colleague in question suffered property damage, injury, or even loss of a loved-one due to a winter-related event.

    3. starsaphire*

      Isn’t there some sort of axiom about how the more someone has to tell you they’re Thing, the less Thing they actually are?

      I’m guessing this co-worker is either about 19 and Very Srs about being an Adult Now, or else they’re incredibly insecure and immature, and don’t realize that actual adults don’t scold other adults.

  29. Anon for this*

    I work in Scotland with very international colleagues. Every year at the first snow we have excited folk dropping everything and running outside because they’ve never seen it before (global company, lots of movement, there’s always a handful of people who haven’t seen snow).

    And it’s great! It reminds me of the joy of snow as a child! I love seeing their excitement! Yes snow can be a problem (particularly in areas not used to it) and it generally makes getting around a bit of a pain and it can be a big problem and very dangerous during things like beast from the east… but I honestly feel guiltier being happy it’s unseasonably warm in February because then I’m basically cheering on climate change. But I still don’t remind people happy the daffodils are up early that this is the start of the end times. I really wish I could do an eye roll emoji at your colleague here OP.

    1. Chinookwind*

      I remember when we hosted Indian exchange students in Northern Alberta. The snow started and half a dozen men and women (some of them in light saris) literally ran outside trying to catch it. We Albertans were trying to herd them back in so we could dress them for the weather and send them back outside. As a 12 year old, I never realized that there were people who had never seen snow and it is a sight I will never forget. OP’s coworker is a sourpuss who is hating on someone else’s pleasure.

    2. Mr. Mousebender*

      I live in Wellington, New Zealand, and have done for over fifty years. In that entire time, it has snowed here exactly twice. Yes, it made the daily commute into somewhat of a hazard, but the sheer novelty of it had a LOT of people walking around with huge, goofy grins.

  30. Awlbiste*

    I have a lot of existential dread around climate change and warming winters accompanied by worsening winter weather events and this adult happens to know that the warm weather in my region right now is the actual Not Good Thing.

    1. Margaret Cavendish*

      Yeah, the existential dread is real. And it’s not just chronic pessimists – even people who are normally pretty balanced about life’s ups and downs are feeling pretty down about climate change lately.

    2. WBE*

      I don’t know if this helps, but I work for an environmental engineering firm and while climate change is certainly a relevant and timely issue, it’s not as bad or as dire as it seems, and a LOT is being done about it (we’re already seeing positive effects), even if it doesn’t seem like it. The best thing to do is get involved in climate politics on a local level. Too many people try to get involved on a state or federal level and it’s just a waste of time.

  31. The Gollux, Not a Mere Device*

    There are plenty of reasons to be in favor of snow–anything from enjoying skiing to worrying about the Sierra Nevada snowpack–but the weirdo who chastised LW would probably dismiss all of them.

    It’s unfortunate that this person is above LW in rank, because that makes it harder to dismiss them, but in their shoes I would ask my supervisor about it. Something like “is Snow-hater basically reasonable, except for this one topic? Or are they likely to bite my head off about other topics that I thought were safe, like cookies or baseball?”

    I have a relative by marriage with whom absolutely nothing except “look how cute our cats are” is a safe topic anymore, decidedly including the weather–anything at all can set off a conspiratorial rant–hot or coldbut with that one exception, I still think of the weather as a safe and sometimes interesting topic.

  32. Ink*

    Nah, I’m with you on seeing red when they specifically said “adults recognize snow is not a good thing.” It absolutely is. The less snow we get, the worse drought conditions are all summer. I’m sure your area gets similar, just less pronounced than here in the desert- flora and fauna, as well as land management practices and architecture, are designed for “normal” conditions. There’s only so much you can do to adapt to climate change year to year, that’s why heat waves in Europe that would be no big deal in much of the US are a deadly problem.

    It’s also a tremendously childish thing to say, for someone apparently so invested in how adults behave :/

    1. What's good?*

      ^This! The winter snow melt is critical for our water supply during the dry season. Adults who care about, I don’t know…drinking water and climate change, recognize snow is a GOOD thing.

  33. VivaVaruna*

    “Liking snow means you don’t care about the unhoused” is hands down the wildest leap in logic I have ever seen, and I’m sure the person who expressed that to OP does absolutely nothing to help that community themselves.

      1. dePizan*

        Exactly. In the US, heat waves (like that one in 2021) kill more people than tornadoes, hurricanes and floods combined. There’s some debate whether cold or heat kills more, as heat deaths can often attributed to other causes (like heat can cause strain on heart conditions, so that might be listed as the cause of death over heat), but with climate change, heat deaths are definitely on the rise.

        But regardless, saying you like snow is not at all the same as saying that you love everything dangerous that potentially comes with it, like avalanches or blizzards or hypothermia…..

        1. Dog momma*

          Guess I’m not remembering this one ..I had major surgery and chemo from February thru July, & the brain fog was brutal. I spent most of the time inside & A good amount in bed. By the time I felt better, it was fall, and in the South, we have beautiful weather then (SC).

    2. parttimer*

      As someone whose worked with homelessness (and lives in a very snow area!), far and away what is most deadly is a lack of affordable housing and a lack of addiction treatment services. But saying “I’m gonna go home and have a beer” wouldn’t be ruled insensitive. (Or maybe this person would say it is!!)

  34. Jennifer Strange*

    I also love snow. I grew up in the south and didn’t have the change to enjoy it as a kid, so as an adult I get very excited about it.

    1. La Triviata*

      My family is from the south; there’s a photo of me, aged four, groveling in the half-inch of snow we’d received, trying to make a snowball. Then we moved north. First snowfall was 11 inches. My mother had visions of us being snowed in until spring thaw with wolves howling at our doors. Nope. We got used to it.

  35. Sara without an H*

    I mean, I’m a redhead and the sun actively wants to kill me, but I don’t take issue with other people enjoying a sunny day.

    Fellow redhead here. Can relate.

    Personally, I enjoy snow, now that I live in an apartment complex where the staff does the shoveling. I also think the Letter Writer’s coworker is a glassbowl and should be avoided as much as possible, but that may just be my own ginger-ness expressing itself.

  36. Ell*

    I am all for increasing our level of sensitivity in conversations with others but when it rises to this level it’s run amok. The inability of some people to recognize the difference between genuinely needing to improve certain common refrains in our language and scolding people for enjoying absolutely anything because someone somewhere is disadvantaged is just not okay.

    I also might actually see red about this. Being told you can’t like snow is an annoyance, and it’s even a little funny in a “I can tell this story later” kind of way. But being scolded about what “adults” do with the implication that you’re childish is inappropriate and condescending.

    1. Naomi*

      I hate that there’s a stigma to adults enjoying things that are deemed “childish”. If an adult wants to build a snowman (or watch cartoons, or play with Legos, or collect plushies), then why not let them have that simple pleasure?

      1. MCMonkeyBean*

        I really agree. I am a fairly consistent person so I don’t generally *stop* like things. Most things that I enjoyed as a child I also enjoy as an adult–I’ve just found even more things to enjoy as well over the years!

        I think the two I see most often are chocolate milk and birthdays. Personally I still love both. But now I sometimes add amaretto or peppermint schnapps to my chocolate milk :)

        1. goddessoftransitory*

          Ugh, I am so tired of people insisting celebrating a birthday is a cross of “childish” and “self-centered.” Obviously people can go overboard or demand performance levels on par with a Vegas show, but simply wanting to go out to dinner or have a cake? Why is that on par with extortion to some individuals?

    2. Be Gneiss*

      Whenever I hear someone act like this, I’m reminded of a C. S. Lewis quote: When I became a man I put away childish things, including the fear of childishness and the desire to be very grown up.
      And then I imagine them stomping their feet like a toddler and shouting about how very grown up they are.
      FWIW, I hate the cold, but snow is neat, and shiny rocks are cool, and new shoes are fun, and dinosaurs are interesting, and with all the awful things going on in the world I wish we could just let people enjoy things.

      1. Panicked*

        I am 40 this year and am a fully-functioning, certified grown up. My husband bought me a rock tumbler for Christmas. I can 100% confirm that shiny rocks are cool.

  37. Liz the Snackbrarian*

    “Adults recognize that snow is not a good thing”. Doe this person live in a place that doesn’t properly have the infrastructure to deal with snow? Are they all forced to come in person and drive in dangerous conditions? Those are the only ways this makes sense to me but even, the reaction is too extreme.

    1. I Have RBF*

      Yeah, I think the sentiment is unhinged, myself, and I don’t like snow (disabled, older, can’t shovel or do snowsports.)

      But adults can love snow, rain or heat, and get to have their own opinions on them without the peanut gallery snarking at them about liking it.

      The coworker is a jerk.

  38. CSRoadWarrior*

    I will admit I don’t like snow, which is one of the reasons why I moved from New Jersey to California. But I will never say such things this coworker said. Like Alison said, it is insensitive. I would just agree to disagree. I prefer summer to winter for other reasons as well, but I would never push it on someone that loves winter and snow. We all have different opinions and likes, and seasons and weather are no different.

  39. Unwatered Office Plant*

    I mean, as long as you’re not waxing rhapsodic about snow to an inappropriate audience, go for it!
    (I know when I had an essential services job and had to sleep at work due to snow I did get a bit grumpy when people wished for snow.)

    1. I DK*

      Yes, that a simple difference of opinion … you didn’t imply that they were children like OP’s co-worker. I might see a little red if someone talked down to me like that in front of others.

  40. RuledByCats*

    Holy smokes, OP. Your colleague seems more than a little oblivious to things like, I don’t know, how the food grown across most of northern North America depends on snow in the winter for moisture in spring? How cities (and everywhere) require water to function, and if the snow pack isn’t there – like, the Rockies in BC and AB are somewhere around 50% below normal right now – that could mean serious restrictions all the way down the watershed line. How fire season is carrying on at very elevated levels now in the north, partly due to lack of ongoing moisture so instead of 4 or 5 underground/overwintering fires, there are dozens this year? In February! Yes, it’s absolutely terrible for a number of groups – homeless, insecurely housed, elderly, etc – but we have ways to improve that that we could actually implement. We don’t do the implementation well, but it’s a lot less complex than climate issues overall. SNOW. IS. FINE. SNOW. IS. USEFUL. ENJOY THE SNOW!

    1. Thistle Pie*

      I was going to say this too – snow is incredibly important for recharging our aquifers. Without winter precipitation that slowly melts and infiltrates the ground, we have droughts in the spring.

    2. Kyrielle*

      YES. If your main objection to the snow is the way the unhoused, elderly, those with essential jobs who must be out and about suffer during it…do something to make it better! You can! You cannot stop the snow. You can hate it (and that’s fine) or enjoy it (and that’s fine), but neither one will change the outcome for people who are negatively impacted by it, so telling someone *not* to like it isn’t going to help them at all. Approving a tax to help pay for more warming shelters (or better yet, more housing-for-all initiatives), additional plows, or other things that might help them, now…that might take time, money, and/or effort, but it will actually help.

      And the folks who are already helping *and* enjoying the snow, like the OP, can carry right on. (You don’t have to be helping to enjoy the snow, but I do feel like it makes this person’s complaint even more ridiculous.)

      1. Sasha*

        Exactly. None of those issues are a problem with snow, they are a problem with the way our society is designed. Perfectly possible to have snow and none of those issues.

  41. AnonInCanada*

    What did I just read? What’s wrong with enjoying winter weather if that’s what you like? I personally want to never see more than 5 cm on the ground, and that’s in the week of Christmas, but I understand where OP’s coming from. Trust me, I’m Canadian. It’s part of our heritage to either love or loathe winter!

    I also understand that without a good amount of snow in winter, vegetation will suffer in the summer due to draughts. Tell this manager not of yours to make a snow angel. They may feel a little better not raining (or snowing) on something this innocuous as the type of weather you enjoy.

  42. Whyamihere*

    Where I live it is all about the snow pack. We live and die by the snow pack. Snow is not a bad thing. All adults in CA really appreciate the snow that falls where I live. Now last year we had so much snow everyone was so upset but almost always we ended the conversation with “At least we have a healthy snow pack. We will not be in draught this summer.”

  43. Nonanon*

    I am a tried and true Southener who panics and shuts down whenever so much as a fingernail’s width of snow is predicted. I got caught in a seasonally late snowfall whenever I was in the Northeast for work last year. It was too majestic for me to be upset.

    Also WOW is snow different when you have the infrastructure to… not need to shut the entire state down.

    1. Bast*

      I am snow hater who was born, raised, and still lives in the northeast. That we have the resources to deal with snow when others don’t, I can appreciate, yet despiite being a through and through New Englander I still can’t do snow. We’ve got people who will go out in a foot of snow to get coffee, and… I am one of those people that freaks out and refuses to drive in anything more than an inch, and I’m paranoid about black ice. FWIW, I was in a bad (snow related) accident years ago, and Old Job exposed me to a great many accidents caused by people taking on Mother Nature and losing. After that, I just can’t.

      1. Dog momma*

        Mom was like that after a minor accident.. we lived in the NE.. and drove us all nuts with her increasing anxiety and worry as winter went on. We were always following the weather channel. I still do lol, probably bc of that. and now having moved South, pretty much trying to see our different weather patterns/ cycles. Being aware of our very different weather challenges. I don’t get anxious about it bc we are in a ” pocket ” where extremely bad weather goes around us.

        1. Bast*

          I know I drive my family nuts. I have a feeling your mom and I would get on well. I am compulsively checking the weather channel anytime there is even the slightest hint of snow forecasted.

    2. The OG Sleepless*

      Snow is also really different when the temperature is actually low instead of hovering around 30 degrees as it does in Atlanta. People don’t realize that part of our challenge is the sudden changes from snow to slush to slick ice. (Atlanta is also hilly, has lots of bridges, and has deep drainage ditches on all the roadsides because we’re prone to flash floods. Lots of stuff to slide into, on our tires that are the same ones we have for summer because snow tires aren’t a thing.)

  44. Snow Is Dangerous*

    10% of the compound in snow pose a danger to us all and should not be celebrated. This dangerous compound is dihydrogen monoxide. It is:
    – is also known as hydroxyl acid, and is the major component of acid rain.
    – contributes to the “greenhouse effect”.
    – may cause severe burns.
    – contributes to the erosion of our natural landscape.
    – accelerates corrosion and rusting of many metals.
    – may cause electrical failures and decreased effectiveness of automobile brakes.
    – has been found in excised tumors of terminal cancer patients

    This dangerous molecule is also known as water. Think twice before coming into contact with snow.

    (This is all in jest)

    2. Lady_Lessa*

      LOL, did you read about a California town considering banning the dangerous stuff. Fortunately, I am drinking diluted stuff (herbal tea)

    3. Phony Genius*

      It’s only 10%? Whew. Glad the other 90% is harmless pollutants and other benign impurities, like oxidane.

      (Sarcasm tag for those who need it.)

  46. Sparkles McFadden*

    This made me think of the office that had a no-humor policy.

    Enjoy the snow LW! Sorry you are working with people who are choosing to be unhappy.

  47. Filthy Vulgar Mercenary*

    I’ve been thinking of ways LW could respond to that person.

    “I was thinking about the climate and how desperately we need moisture, and was feeling grateful for one more indicator that we hadn’t reached that tipping point yet. I hadn’t thought about the impact on the unhoused, however, so after your comment, I’ve planned to double my normal annual donation to the [agency that supports folks in need].”

    I was going for plausibly deniable snark but not sure if this hits the mark.

  48. The Rafters*

    OPs coworker and a coworker of mine would not have gotten along well. They loved the snow because they loved to shovel. No snow blowers for them!

  49. NotARealManager*

    Your co-worker reminds me of a lot of (usually younger) people I know who are overly empathetic to a fault.

    Remember the woman who tweeted about how she liked to drink coffee with her husband in their garden? Twitter roasted her to no end because “not everyone has the privilege to have a house with a garden” or “not everyone has the time to drink coffee with their spouse.” I don’t have a specific word for that behavior, but it is one of the worst scourges of social media.

    As long as you’re reading the contextual clues around the weather conversation, you’re fine.

    1. DrSalty*

      That is exactly what this person is doing. A “Not everyone eats sandwiches” sort of vibe to quote something that gets thrown around here. Tbh this is why I don’t use social media anymore.

    2. Telephone Sanitizer, Third Class*

      Agreed. It doesn’t help cutivate empathy, it just uses awkward loopholes to get around context and agreed-upon standards/norms

    3. Elbe*

      Stuff like that doesn’t seem like an overflowing of empathy to me. It doesn’t seem very empathetic at all.

      There was a post on Buzzfeed a while ago that explained this as an inability for people to accept that not everything has pertain to them. They even used the same coffee-with-the-husband example. These people assume that everything posted should be able to be applied to everyone, and then take issue when they realize that it can’t. The post also used the example of food bloggers posting a recipe and then getting a bunch of comments like “You should have considered that not everyone can eat dairy!” or “Not everyone can find XYZ ingredient at their local store!” Rather than accept that this recipe just isn’t for them, they criticize the content for not being more generic.

      Honestly, that sounds pretty spot on to me. If the LW’s coworker hates snow because he has to shovel out his car, he maybe he thinks that everyone should feel negatively about that because he’s not factoring in that other people may like skiing more than they hate shoveling the driveway. Not everyone likes snow, but liking snow isn’t a moral issue in a general sense.

      2. GreyjoyGardens*

        It’s main character syndrome combined with what I’ve seen called here “not everyone can have sandwiches” arguments.

        I really hate that so much of online interaction has become cruel, bitter, and hateful, seeking to destroy people rather than build them up.

    4. Observer*

      Your co-worker reminds me of a lot of (usually younger) people I know who are overly empathetic to a fault.

      The thing is that what you are describing is not empathy.It’s negativity. You can be deeply empathetic without dunking on people who get to enjoy something nice.

      In fact, in my experience, the people who are the most empathetic are also the most likely to be happy for people who have something they enjoy, even it the person with empathy doesn’t / can’t have it.

  50. Bast*

    I am a snow hater. I do not get upset when someone is excited for, and loves the snow, and the only time I might get somewhat annoyed is if someone keeps mentioning it over and over again, all day, each and every time it snows — the equivalent of saying “OMG look, a dog!” every time someone with a dog passes by the window — but even then it’s a mild annoyance and not something I’d be truly ANGRY over. That person’s reaction to snow talk is so odd, and I share their feelings about snow.

    2. Goldenrod*

      Not only am I a snow lover, but I also TOTALLY do this:
      “the equivalent of saying “OMG look, a dog!” every time someone with a dog passes by the window”

      I get so excited literally every single time I see a dog. :D

      2. goddessoftransitory*

        Me too! We go to a local place for lunch and I’m guaranteed to call “DOG!” at least three times during the conversation.

      3. Bast*

        I work in a city where people walking dogs is such a common occurrence that if you pointed out every time you see a dog (or see a bus go by, hear a police siren, or any number of other things) it would be annoying and distracting during the work day, I guess is what I’m getting at, though to be fair, anything repeated can be a bit of a nuisance. I’m fine hearing people talk about the Superbowl, for example, but I do not need a play by play told for eight hours straight of every play made. I loved Game of Thrones and got excited about the new episodes as they came out, but I understood my coworkers probably didn’t want to hear a rehash of every single episode all day. There’s getting excited for something and there’s beating everyone over the head with it all day.

    3. Ginger Cat Lady*

      Snow is fine, I suppose, unless I have to drive in it, shovel my driveway or clear ice off my porch. It’s very pretty when it’s falling outside and I’m cozy inside with some hot tea and a good book.
      But I live not far from a ski resort, and many of my neighbors get excited about snow and love it very much.
      I’m glad they enjoy it. I’m also glad I have my things I enjoy.
      Adults understand that things mean different things to different people and don’t get mad about what other people enjoy that doesn’t hurt anyone!

      1. Bast*

        I would agree with this assessment, except that I feel it ALWAYS falls at the most inconvenient times. This year it’s usually been on Tuesdays, which mean getting up and clearing it off before work, which nixes the tea and book, sadly.

  51. Burbonk*

    I’ve noticed that typically anyone who starts a sentence with “adults [verb]” is deeply insecure about something that has nothing to do with the topic at hand.

  52. Optimus*

    I am a native Floridian, and while I am aware that snow can be both inconvenient and deadly, I can’t help wishing I at least lived in a place with four real seasons (as opposed to the eight we have here: Spring, Allergy, Lovebug, Summer, Hurricane, Allergy II, Lovebug II, and A Cold Front). I used to have a coworker who’d grown up in Ohio and moved here as an adult and she was downright snarky about anyone who had anything positive to say about snow. When a coworker of ours retired and moved to New Hampshire, she told me smugly, wait until he goes through his first winter! I said, HE WAS BORN THERE; HE ALREADY KNOWS.

    Some people just want everyone else to agree with them about what’s fun or sucky, and get offended/defensive/weird when they encounter someone who’s different.

    1. LCH*

      i love lovebug season :D my BF freaked out the first time i took him to FL to visit. i forgot it was a thing and that it was at all weird.

        1. Optimus*

          I have always heard lovebugs will destroy your car’s paint. Don’t know if that’s true! I’ve never really paid enough attention. Or maybe it was true of earlier types of paint but now the clearcoats are better. Huh. Now I’m curious.

          Yeah, clouds of lovebugs are definitely weird.

        2. Optimus*

          I can’t believe you love lovebug season when so many people are impacted by lovebugs! For shame! (Sorry. Couldn’t resist.)

          1. LCH*

            ha, oh well! i didn’t know the car paint thing. my car’s paint must have been super strong. they are a pain to get out of the grill.

      2. La Triviata*

        And Florida, as I understand, after a chilly evening, warns visitors to watch out for falling iguanas.

      3. M2RB*

        lol I despise lovebugs to a comical degree – my spouse laughs at me (I laugh at me, too, once I get inside/away from the gross little f*ckers).

  53. Mim*

    OMFG, it’s not like you were celebrating a freaking natural disaster. Yup, cold weather can be difficult for or even kill unhoused people. So can hot weather. Snow can be difficult to clear, and even more so for people with physical limitations. Sun and heat can also pose health challenges, and there are some medical conditions that are exacerbated by the heat or that can exacerbate the danger of sun and heat exposure. Someone trying to say you are insensitive to the suffering of others because you are happy about a totally typical weather pattern for your region is just using those populations for their own disingenuous argument.

    Perhaps this person in a superior position to you at work should organize a push for your employer to provide regular and significant funding to local organizations that help and house people in need? Since they are so concerned. Or maybe, on snowy days, those of you who are willing and able should be able to receive your full day’s salary for volunteering to help clear the sidewalks and vehicles of members of your community who need help with such things. That would be an amazing way for your employer to help mitigate some society-wide problems that are caused by the totally normal weather patterns you were happy to be experiencing. Or maybe they should sponsor legislation mandating that all employers must pay their employees for days they miss at work due to unsafe driving conditions? That will certainly save lives, and make life easier for many. Darn snow. What an evil form of precipitation that surely nobody has ever rightfully found joy in. Things are only ever good or bad, and no level of nuance will be tolerated until all problems in the world are solved.

    Um. Maybe your post hit a nerve. I used to work with a couple of people who would moan all day whenever the weather was not perfect. And they’d try to rope other people in to their misery, which famously loves company. They stopped trying with me when I dared tell them, one day, that I kind of like rainy days. (Just call me Phyllis.) In fact, I often feel a great deal of anxiety on sunny, warm days because if I don’t have the energy or time to “enjoy” the weather, I feel like I’m missing out on something. And goodness knows, that feeling is only exacerbated by the perfect weather occurring on a work day.

  54. Sparkly Tuxedo*

    I’ve been met with this kind of reaction. I also love the snow and get super excited at even a hint of flurries. I think there’s a subset of people out there who find the enjoyment of snow to be childish — because kids get to go play in the snow, but adults have to shovel, clean off cars, etc. But I’m here to tell you — you can shovel the snow AND then play in it! I did that a couple of years ago when it snowed heavily on Long Island. My fiance and I went out to stay at his parents’ house the night before so we could help them with their driveway. Took two hours to get all the snow out of their driveway and then I went out and plunged into the drifts up to my waist, made some snow angels, tried to run through it, etc. It was amazingly fun and very good exercise and I slept WELL that night.

    This sound like a person who also thinks adults have to put away all childish things and never experience joy at the little things anymore.

  55. Canuck*

    Yeah, that’s dumb. I no longer enjoy snow personally, but I’m pretty sure adults know that declining snow/ snowpack/ ice and other impacts of climate change are pretty dang bad for us.

  56. LabSnep*

    I ended up coming home because I have been having an awful time and needed to rest (and manager went plz go rest, and K went k) and I got to my apartment just as the snow started.

    I have been taking hourly photos as I wake up from my foggy pain naps.

    I am also excited! Not excited to have to cook because I’m not making someone try to go up the hill to my apartment building in this, but I love the snow.

  57. Office Plant Queen*

    Your colleague is trying prove that their opinion is Objectively Right, which is frankly really annoying behavior if someone does it a lot. Also, “snow is bad for unhoused people” has the same vibes as “starving children in Africa would love to have a meal like this so shut up and eat your broccoli”

    It is not childish to feel joy. Not about snow, not about anything. So go enjoy it! I live in a place that averages 54″ of snow each season and last night (in the middle of February!) we finally, finally got enough snow that I can’t see the grass. It’s absolutely beautiful outside and I’m loving it! Even though I did have to shovel this morning

  58. vox*

    a lot of people around my office were very public in their celebration of valentine’s day, which is incredibly insensitive to those of us who are Looks Challenged and can’t get a date.

  59. Juicebox Hero*

    One time my mother was in the hospital during the winter, and one of the nurses had never seen snow in person. I think he was from San Antonio, TX. When we had snowy weather he’d rush into her room to stare out the window and bounce up and down like a little kid. It was adorable.

    Your coworker sounds like a virtue-signalling buzzkill to me.

    1. Chiming in from Texas*

      Probably was from San Antonio! So am I – and snow is a rare thing and very exciting, even for adults. A couple of years ago when snowmageddon hit Texas, people were still excited about real snow. It was the lack of power and water that was the problem!

      I HATE cold weather (which for me is anything below 70 F), but I can still appreciate snow and do not consider it a “bad thing”. People like all different kinds of weather – snow, cold, hot, sunshine, breezy, whatever- so why shouldn’t the be excited by what makes them happy?

      1. Panicked*

        Snowpocalypse here in Texas was both horrifying and heart-warming. Everyone pitched in to help everyone. If you had power, you’d invite people over to take a shower and charge devices. If you had a shovel, you were out bailing out cars and sidewalks. If you had firewood, you’d leave a dry pile outside for people to get. It was wonderful to see everyone come together and help their fellow neighbor.

        It was also amazing to watch people see real accumulated snow for the first time! Everyone reverts to the age of 5 when they first see snow. It was so fun to have a snowball fight and make snow angels… until the entire state lost power that is.

      2. Anon in a Large State*

        I lost power for three days during Snowmageddon, and snow in the forecast now makes me panic inside — and you know what? It’s still really pretty! It’s fascinating to go out and hear how falling snow muffles the sound outdoors!

        And yeah, snow is bad news for folks who don’t have homes, but 35F rain isn’t great for them either, and neither is 25F dry weather, and neither is the six months of 100+F weather we had last summer.

  60. Free Meerkats*

    I say file this away in your brain for when this particular glasshole says something about enjoying the hot weather, then laying into them hammer and tongs. Just return to sender. Ignore what anyone else says; they didn’t harsh your mellow.

  61. ArchivesPony*

    You should tell that person who said “adults recognize snow is not a good thing” that snow actually is a good thing. It helps with water levels and in many parts of the US, snow is needed for things like Winter Wheat. Not having a good snowfall affects crops which feed people!

  62. LCH*

    i thought the problem was going to be “i love snow because snow days! no work!” but instead it was just your coworker being weirdly repressive.

    1. Working Class Lady*

      I agree.
      Guarantee this self-righteous co-worker would find something else to criticize LW about if it weren’t for snow.

      Looking forward to grilled salmon for dinner? The oceans are over-fished. (Which they are – but blame extreme capitalism, not someone who just wants a nice dinner).

      Looking forward to a trip? Travel is elitist because not everyonecan do it (or something).

      You get the idea. Snow is a natural part of the Earth’s weather pattern, and the day we’ve seen the last snowfall will not be a good day for the planet and its beings.

      1. I like fish*

        Depends on the salmon! Alaska has well-managed fisheries, and supporting fishers economic clout can help support sustainable practices – assuming they recognize the fish as a resource to manage long-term rather than trying to maximize short-term profit. Check out Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch.

  64. Foyer Office*

    When I worked in Boston, one day I came in late after a doctor’s appointment to find everyone packing up to go home because the office was about to be closed due to impending snow. Everyone was delighted. I remember my boss telling me “I think this is the first time I’ve ever seen you smile” as he danced his way out the door. I feel like it’s deeply normal to get excited about snow.

  65. Marketing Ninja Unicorn*

    OP, I am in charge of our messaging online/over email/on social media when work goes to a telework day due to weather. Where I live, forecasters started warning on Saturday of snow on Monday. By mid-afternoon Monday, we were all told to take our laptops home ‘in anticipation’ of working remotely Tuesday.

    The official call came at 730 p.m. Starting at 6 p.m., my phone was blowing up with colleagues asking, ‘Have they called a telework day yet??’

    Adults get excited about snow. It’s a normal thing. Your colleague is ridiculous.

  67. Lark*

    I do a lot of volunteer work with unhoused people. Everyone in my org is constantly aware of the weather, because it affects what each shift is going to be like – do we need more cool packs, do we need to get ice out to people, do we need to replace things that blew away in the windstorm, do we need to replace things that were dry and are now wet and full of mud, etc. It really does change your feelings about weather.

    I find myself wondering if your colleague has some reason for all this to be on their mind – do they do this kind of work? Do they live in an area where they are regularly encountering unhoused people struggling? Is it a hot-button issue in their city?

    Obviously you’re not wrong to look forward to snow and it’s not wrong to say that you’re excited about it, but if your colleague has a lot on her mind about it she might just have responded from her feelings rather than her professionalism, so to speak.

    I will never forget my first winter encampment visit because it was this terrible situation of frozen mud, ice and trash, and people had nowhere else to go. I could easily see someone having encountered a situation like that and being all, “snow, do you know what snow actually MEANS”.

    Again, you’re not wrong! I’d say that even when things are awful, we should try to take pleasure in the natural world if we can.

    1. Observer*

      I could easily see someone having encountered a situation like that and being all, “snow, do you know what snow actually MEANS”.

      Yeah, if you were talking about a child. But anyone who is dealing with the kind of work you describe knows that it’s not just snow. As you note, you’re also looking at what rain (objectively necessary) does, as well as heat, and wind etc.

      It’s not for nothing that if you look at something like Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs, shelter comes in on the most basic layer of physiological needs along with things like food and water. It’s almost impossible to survive without it, regardless of snow. So I get how such a scene would unsettle someone. But if they have any sense whatsoever, it should be clear that the problem is not that snow is *the* bad problem that unhoused people face, but that lack of housing makes people highly vulnerable to normal weather.

  68. Sunshine's Eschatology*

    Do I get excited for snow days? Absolutely not, I’ve worked from home for almost 10 years, nothing stops my deadlines, and now I have a toddler to juggle as well.

    Do I shut down colleagues who are excited for snow days? Absolutely not! I may give a comedically dramatic “Noooo, don’t wish that upon me, that means preschool is closed!” and then concede that snow is pretty, at least, and toddler will have fun. The whole thing is very normal, light friendly banter.

    Is it objectively wrong, immature, or insensitive to like and express appreciation for snow days? WTF no. If anything, co-worker is objectively wrong, immature, and insensitive for being such a blowhard jerk.

  69. Sharkie*

    Oh my goodness…. I am in Boston an my team had the opposite reaction! We were bummed that this this latest storm turned into all rain. This person’s reaction is not ok.

  70. alto*

    I got my undergrad degree in a very deserty area and whenever it snowed (like 2x the five years I was there) everyone was SUPER excited for the sad half inch or so of slush that we got. Every time. Like building-sad-snowmen-and-still-beaming-about-it excited.

    Some people are just buzzkills.

  71. Telephone Sanitizer, Third Class*

    I’ll join you in liking snow! Watching it fall, watching it build up, watching weather channels freak out about it even when it’s not serious. Yeah, it sucks when it’s bitterly cold and dirty, but there’s just something magical about it in the moment.

  72. Mully*

    I also love snow. That’s why I continue to live in Minnesota. The lack of snow here this winter has really impacted lots of businesses (snow plowing, x-country skiing, etc) and local events have had to cancel. For one, I’m sad they had to cancel a big sled dog race on Lake Minnetonka again this year.

    1. Elle Woods*

      I live there too and it’s crazy how many things have been cancelled this year because of our unusually warm winter.

  73. Elle Woods*

    This coworker sounds like a total buzzkill. While snow does create hardships, it also contributes to the economy (at least where I live) in the form of winter sports (skiing, snowmobiling, sledding, snowshoeing, etc.) and service jobs (like snow removal). It’s also an important part of the ecosystem.

    Enjoy the snow!

  74. Dawn*

    You must be from my neck of the woods.

    I hate winter weather and I’m also very… let’s call this one “progressive” but this sounds like someone who’s been thoroughly clout-poisoned by online communities (been there, got over it,) and you can feel free to largely discount anything they have to say.

  75. Essentially Cheesy*

    I can appreciate snow now more since my mom is retired and I don’t need to help her very much with snow shoveling/blowing. (Now that is a burden and ruins snow days.) My brother helps a lot with that now that she’s retired and can wait until he is available.

    Even on the blizzard days I need to take my work laptop home and try to “work”. (yes I am a devoted office person and I like it.)

    It’s difficult to have youthful excitement about snow unless it’s maybe a Saturday or when I have a scheduled day off and not any real responsibilities.

  76. COHikerGirl*

    OP, another person chiming in with their shared love of snow! We’ve had some delightful storms recently (Denver metro, Colorado, USA) and I have been LOVING it! As has my Texas born dog who we don’t think ever saw snow until this winter and who would love for us to leave her outside even if it meant she froze to death (I’ve literally had to pick her up and carry her inside).

    All sorts of weather causes issues for people. Heck, the cold causes issues for me personally! But that isn’t snow’s fault. (And it’s not snow’s fault snow kills people…that’s a policy issue and that lies squarely on people’s shoulders. I hope your coworker is outspoken about the social issues if they choose to demonize snow like this. Or they had a bad day and are feeling better now. Or both!)

  77. No Longer a Bookkeeper*

    We moved from the Houston area to western New York last spring, and I discovered really quickly that the locals do NOT share our enthusiasm for snow lol. Granted, my area got a manageable 2 feet while some areas got 5-6 FEET of snow so I understand why they would be less enthused. (They actually postponed a Bills game because a) no one could play or watch the game in white out conditions and b) the governor declared a state of emergency so they LEGALLY couldn’t have people driving to come to the game.)

    So I mostly keep my excitement about the snow to myself and my husband, who loves snow even more than I do lol.

    1. Eastern Phoebe*

      I’ve noticed that people who hate snow often point to worse snow conditions elsewhere as the reason why I shouldn’t be excited for snow! Sort of like your example, if some town elsewhere had 3 feet of snow, then it is somehow wrong for me to be excited about the 4 inches of snow my area got. Fortunately they cannot actually control my emotions.

      1. merida*

        Ok that’s a fascinating observation! I catch myself falling into that too sometimes… Why do we do this?? We can still appreciate the good in our situation even if someone else is experiencing a worse thing. There will always be someone experiencing a worse thing and we can certainly comisserate and have compassion while also still being happy for our thing. One doesn’t outweigh the other.

        1. Eastern Phoebe*

          I don’t know for sure, but I suspect it’s because people who hate snow (and are willing to be vocal about it, obviously–not everyone is like this) think that I don’t understand what “real snow” is like and how inconvenient/dangerous it can be. I get this kind of comment especially from people who grew up in very snowy winters. Whereas I’m thinking…I live in a city that gets barely a few inches of snow each winter, so multiple feet of snow is never going to be a problem for me.

          But I agree, it’s possible to enjoy nice snow in one location and still feel for people caught in blizzards or other nasty winter weather.

    2. Dog momma*

      hello fellow WNYer. We are from Rochester and know all about snow and white outs. We moved South so I could retire & husband is on blood thinners and was miserable in winter. We get flurries every couple years here but it can go down to the teens at night. Family up there is on their 2nd non winter. Plow came only twice this year which is highly unusual. Glad you are enjoying it. Its beautiful there with lots to do.

  78. BellyButton*

    We can’t even talk about weather now?? I love the snow and winter and was slightly irritated with everyone constantly talking about my move from a place that gets snow to California and how much I would love the weather. Yay, all the sunshine– meh, I much preferred living some place with 4 seasons.

  79. Alan*

    I’m a CA boy so when I travel on business and encounter snow, I’m always excited. The locals think I’m weird but I love it. That said, “adults recognize snow is not a good thing” is complete horsepucky. He’s just got a bug up his butt and I guarantee there are things that he loves that have a downside. Guarantee. Whether it’s a ballgame or a car or a hobby. Everything has a downside. I’m sorry he’s trying to kill your enthusiasm.

  80. It's Marie - Not Maria*

    I had an early career employee who texted me every time we had more than a couple flakes of snow to see if they had to come to work. Honey, this isn’t High School or College, we expect you to be to work as scheduled.
    Note: The business has cancelled scheduled work twice in five years – both times for major power outages that lasted more than a few hours. We had a “Storm of the Century” which pretty much shut everything down in these parts, and we were still expected to come in to work. She knew this, so not sure how she got the idea into her head we would be closing. Hope springs eternal?

    1. Seashell*

      If my work made me come in during the Storm of the Century, everything else in the area was shut down, and my job was not a matter of life or death, I’d be job searching.

    2. Observer*

      We had a “Storm of the Century” which pretty much shut everything down in these parts, and we were still expected to come in to work. She knew this, so not sure how she got the idea into her head we would be closing. Hope springs eternal?

      Well, that’s so unreasonable that I could see her thinking that SOMETHING has to change, and she had nothing to calibrate against.

      Honestly, your employer was as unreasonable as your employee. And it’s concerning that you don’t see that side of it.

  81. Fluffy Fish*

    OP – I literally work in emergency management and I am ecstatic for snow – the more the better.

    Jumping up and down about how great it is during a gigantic blizzard where people are in danger would be tacky. General excitement over snow is totally fine.

    Your colleague is out of line.

  82. Goldenrod*

    I also love snow! Hello, fellow snow lover!!

    I talk openly about it at work. There are lots of people who have a negative feeling about snow, for all sorts of different reasons. Some of these reasons make a lot of sense. But there tends to be a shared understanding that we all have the right to have whatever feelings we have.

    The very mildest thing I might say is “read the room” and maybe if people are extremely negatively charged about the snow, hold your tongue. But also: maybe not! It’s definitely not a faux pas, and the weirdo who told you that is just being weird.

  84. Baunilha*

    I’m from a tropical country. I would love to be excited for snow, since it’s just not a thing here. So please be excited on my behalf, OP!

  85. Mae*

    Tell her its insensitive to not be excited about snow with all the dry weather and forest fires over the last few years. The farmers around your city wanted the snow too. Always pros and cons to any type of normal weather.

  86. Marzipan Shepherdess*

    No, OP, you’re not insensitive and yes, that was a truly bizarre reaction. Very likely, that person was simply having a bad day, was in a cross mood already and anything – but anything! – would have set them off. Feel free to enjoy the snow with our blessings!

  87. Nice_shoes*

    Listen, I live in Ottawa and snow is a pain for driving; and we also tend to get more freezing rain compared to when I lived in Montreal, Michigan (fog) or Southern Ontario (if in snow belt, a ton of snow; if in Toronto, hardly any snow at all). and I would never chastise anyone for wanting snow. I love to watch it fall. Walking in it when the temps are right is lovely. People love the community ice rinks the city sets up every year.

    There’s a LOT of people and companies relying on snow for work, employment and income. Did your odd coworker think of that? Ottawa’s annual Winterlude and tourism suffers when there’s no snow, temps are mild, and no one can skate on the canal. (I’ve got a friend whose dad is impatiently waiting to skate the canal with her.) Ski hills surely can’t make snow when it’s between 3 and 8 degrees C for four days with wind and rain like it was last weekend. (Luckily for the ski hills, it’s been lower than -2.5 a night which is the minimum they need.)

    There are active local cross country ski groups that are also waiting for snow. And for all those scouting and girl guide groups, winter skills are a big part of the program!

  88. Eastern Phoebe*

    OP, are we in the same workplace?! I love snow and cold weather, and if I’m talking to my “winter is evil” coworkers, I have started qualifying my “I’m so excited for snow” with “Of course, I do feel bad for all the snow shovelers and the unhoused, etc.” It’s ridiculous but for some people warm=good and cold=bad, no matter how short winter may be (3 months of mildly cold weather vs 6 months of hot weather where I live). I have even tried to explain the practical purposes of winter, like the fruit trees that need X number of hours below a specific temperature in winter, but honestly, these people are not going to change their minds. Don’t waste your energy on them.

  89. Chocolate Teapot*

    I still remember a fairly senior person who had been transferred to our (Northern European) office from a very hot country.

    The day it started snowing, she was squealing with excitement as she had never seen snow before.

  90. TheErstwhileLibrarian*

    Sometimes people (who are in leadership, some of whom are not), get weirdly opinionated to the point of being insensitive about other people’s preferences. It doesn’t reflect anything on you… your leader is just a bit of a jerk. Carry on enjoying your winter activities, and if it keeps happening, it might be a sign to put out feelers for a new role.

    At my previous job, my boss was constantly challenging any opinion or preference I uttered: food preferences were wrong, movies I enjoyed were pointless, etc. The final straw was when he declared that a hobby I enjoy (sailing… in a rented small boat on the occasional weekend afternoon) is “elitist.” I then pointed out it was a hell of a lot less elitist than spending five figures a pop on pieces of contemporary art, which was his hobby. Our relationship (what there was of it) never recovered, and a month later I had a new job with a title bump of two levels and a 50% raise.

    1. TheErstwhileLibrarian*

      I should have probably specified that the fancy new job had nothing to do with the falling out with my boss. I’d been looking for a lifeboat for quite some time, and finally found one.

  91. Jane*

    OP, I don’t have anything to add except that I also love winter and think you have every right to be annoyed by this!

  92. Alex*

    Yeah, it sucks to be an unhoused person in a snowstorm! But that’s not the snowstorm’s fault, that’s our society’s fault for failing to care for vulnerable people. Your colleague seems a bit much…

    2. Observer*

      Yeah, it sucks to be an unhoused person in a snowstorm!

      Indeed it does. But it’s also terrible when it’s freezing, raining or a heatwave. (And both cold and hot temperatures can be deadly.)

    3. Dog momma*

      When the weather gets bad in winter, the police gather up the u housed in city buses and take them to the shelters.

  93. Festively Dressed Earl*

    OP, does this coworker have a habit of being negative about other things? The commentariat all agree that this person was out of line on this particular thing, but if they’re like that constantly it’s a different story. Do they spread negativity in other ways like belittling people, shooting down other people’s ideas or resisting needed changes, or by grousing about snow and sunshine and puppies and cupcakes to anyone who will listen? If so, that’s not something you should brush off.

  94. Snarkastic*

    This is what I mean when I say that some people take empathy too far. If someone says they are looking forward to snow, let them look forward to snow instead of listing out snow-related tragedies. Liking snow is not insensitive or immature. What a bizarre response!

    1. Observer*

      This is what I mean when I say that some people take empathy too far.

      Nah. This has nothing to do with empathy. In fact, I would say the reverse. This is someone who simply cannot fathom any “right thinking, grown up” could ever have a thought or feeling other than something he has thought or felt. If he’s never had a sunburn they either don’t exist, or they don’t matter. etc.

      It’s not that he’s empathetic to people hurt by snow or cold. He doesn’t like snow so it must be that anyone who does like snow has “something wrong” with them. And I bet it would be the same for anything else he doesn’t like.

      1. mreasy*

        Some people thinking that liking things is less powerful than disliking things, and that it’s one-upping someone to say the thing they like is Bad, Actually.

  95. Working Class Lady*

    Goodness, people will look for ANYTHING to criticize others about.
    Snow *is actually a good thing* (global warming is not) and you have every right to say you enjoy it! I do too – in fact, I’m looking forward to a skiing trip with family in a couple weeks.
    If this lady is really so concerned about people affected by cold weather, she could follow your example and donate or volunteer for organization as that help the homeless, as well as support things like a living wage and laws that limit short-term rentals, both of which are issues that contribute to the housing crisis.
    If you enjoy snow, you’re free to say so (as long as, as others pointed out, it’s not after someone has told you about a snow-related car accident or something).

  96. parttimer*

    Time to whip out this proverb:

    If you refuse to find joy in the snow, you have the same amount of snow, but less joy.

  97. BookWitch*

    I used to have a husky-mix dog and it was well known around the office that I would be calling in on the first good snowfall of the year. I didn’t even have to pretend to be sick! I would just text my boss that I was staying home to play with my dog in the snow. It probably helped that I do very good work and was not new at the job. We also have a pretty laid back work culture, too.
    And as a fellow snow enthusiast, it’s absurd how upset people get when you hope for snow! What kind of weather-controlling super powers do they think I have?

    1. Shan*

      I walk to work, and every winter when it gets cold-cold here (in Calgary), I absolutely LOVE watching all the huskies (and other cold weather dogs) out living their absolute best lives. They look so happy! The owners often not so much, but hey – you did this to yourself.

  98. Ann O'Nemity*

    What a weird response! With this coworker’s logic, you can’t be excited about anything ever because there could be a potential negative. Excited about a new car? So insensitive, don’t you know people die in car accidents?! Enjoying a tasty snack? So insensitive, some people are starving!

    But seriously, I think the LW’s coworker is just being egocentric here. They dislike the snow and think everyone else should too. If I were the LW and it came up again I’d say something like, “Individual preferences and sources of happiness can differ. I have empathy for those facing challenges in weather conditions, and it’s something to be mindful of, but for many the snow brings excitement and positive experiences. That doesn’t make me insensitive or immature, and I’d prefer you not call me names because you dislike the snow.”

    1. Elbe*

      The extent of the snow-hating is so odd that it’s (understandably) getting a lot of attention here, but I like your response because it highlights how condescending and insulting the LW’s coworker was.

      Having a skewed perspective about snow is one thing, feeling entitled to call your coworkers names and lecture them on how “adults” act is something else.

  99. Formerly Ella Vader*

    I live in a place that had wildfires and drought last year, and I worry about it being worse this year. I quite like the climate that was here when I moved here, so when people say they are happy about the warmth or the lack of snow, I don’t agree with them, but I also try not to yuck their yum. Criticizing you for being happy and excited is a weirdly unimaginative and inconsiderate take.

  100. Tobias Funke*

    What a complete asshole.

    Also, this person has clearly never been to the US Southwest – we need the snow in the mountains.

    And performatively hating things to show 0neself as the most evolved and the most “progressive” (not that that’s what progressive is) is a terrible quality.

  101. Academic glass half full*

    AND the snow that we are finally getting is important to our North American biosphere!

  102. tree frog*

    As someone who enjoys rain and is also regularly harassed by the sun, I understand the pain of having unpopular weather opinions. There is a powerful weather orthodoxy at play.

  106. Abogado Avocado*

    LW, when I lived in Zone 5, I used to be grinchy about late April/early May snowstorms because it meant the planting date for my summer garden might be pushed back. But I never would have reacted as your co-worker is. In fact, I would be tempted to respond, after waiting a beat: “Is something…wrong? Because that is an unusual response to someone liking snowstorms.”

  107. BecauseHigherEd*

    I 100% believe the higher up is grouchy/cranky about the weather (potentially for something like SAD or depression, but also maybe they just don’t like the cold), they’ve been stewing thinking about how much they hate the snow and looking for excuses to justify their hatred, and when poor OP said “Finally some snow!” they snapped because it challenged their worldview that maybe snow isn’t so bad and that happiness and winter aren’t mutually exclusive.

  108. Decidedly Me*

    I didn’t realize this, so I must not be an adult! I’m going to take that as a compliment, though, as adulting can really suck. You did nothing wrong OP. Enjoy your snow :)

  109. KellifromCanada*

    OP’s co-worker is just one of those people who’s always looking for something to be pissed off about and wants to make everyone else miserable too! It’s okay to enjoy skating/skiing/snow-shoeing/sledding/winter photography/walking your husky. If you said you were excited for a blinding blizzard, that’s not great, since severe storms are dangerous … but a bit of snow? Go out and enjoy yourself if you can and ignore this buzz-kill!

  110. Phony Genius*

    Actual advice: Next time you are in a large group that includes this co-worker, make a similar comment and see if they give a similar reaction that they did when you were one-to-one. If they do, others in the group will probably also object to it and you’ll have numbers on your side. If they stay silent, then you’ll be able to continue your conversation without such comments.

  111. KG*

    I only go into the office twice a month and I have an in office day scheduled tomorrow. It’s been snowing since noon and I’m very excited and hoping it lasts until the weekend so I can snowshoe.
    A few hours ago, my boss called to tell me I wasn’t coming into the office tomorrow. It is supposed to taper off overnight so I was just going to power through. He’d prefer me safely working from my home office than risking my life so he gets the opportunity to see my face.

    1. KG*

      Now I’m sad – I got up early to dig out my parents’ cars because they have an appointment this morning. Because of the wind, there was a 2 foot bank against the cars and there is no snow left on the yard for snowshoeing. I wonder how the colleague would feel about an adult feeling cheated because there isn’t enough snow.

  112. LisaD*

    Give them a taste of their own medicine with “actually, snowpack is crucial for aquifer health and access to clean drinking water, so NOT being excited about snow is insensitive to people in areas where water access is a challenge.”

    1. Awkwardness*

      Do not forget about animal and hibernation.
      If this person is all about morality, ethics and “doing the right”, this might be the best comeback. Do treat their absurd remark with all seriousness and offer counter arguments.

    2. mreasy*

      lol this would actually be hilarious, just go full pro-snow morality police.

      OP do not do this but if you do please secretly film it

  114. Selina Luna*

    1. I love how snow looks, and I occasionally have found good times in snow.
    2. I hate actually being in snow, especially because my joints get all stupid even though I’m not even 40 yet.
    3. I hate the sun and heat even more.
    4. None of that has anything whatsoever to do with how others should feel about snow, sun, or heat.
    5. All extreme weather kills. Singling one person out for their enjoyment of one kind of weather is bull, especially if that’s the reason you’re going to give.

  115. Yes Anastasia*

    Anyone listen to the Dear Hank and John podcast? I’ve been listening through their back catalog and much merriment has been made about a letter writer whose doctor told them that “sneezing is never normal.”

    The pronouncement that “adults recognize snow is not a good thing” feels like it was issued by the anti-sneezing doctor’s equally bananapants cousin. If you can’t enjoy snow because you’re a genuinely empathetic person, that’s your business, but I can’t imagine never looking around and noticing that not everyone is of one mind with you.

  117. Tantallum99*

    I’m guessing someone already said this in the 300-odd comments already but HEAT is the weather event that kills the most people in the US.

  118. Jane*

    Companies: Don’t be happy about snow! What about the homeless?

    Also companies: You could work from home and we could use this giant building to help out the homeless, but nah…come into the office instead for literally no reason.

  119. Yours sincerely, Raymond Holt*

    “Immature and insensitive.” Wow.

    There’s something so depressing about people thinking that as an adult, you shouldn’t enjoy things. And innocent, natural things like snow?

    And commenting on the weather is such an inane, ordinary thing to speak about.

  120. H.Regalis*

    Welp, time to get out the table-flipping emoji.

    (╯°□°)╯︵ ┻━┻

    Don’t you know you’re never allowed to like or enjoy anything, because someplace somewhere there could potentially be someone that is in some way possibly harmed by some permutation of the thing you like? If my rage at this attitude could take physical form, it would be the whale in Pinocchio swallowing these people whole until they learn to stop concern trolling.

    Life can be hard. Terrible things can happen that are beyond your control. Enjoy the good parts and the things you love. Feeling like shit all the time does not fix or improve anything.

  121. Name (Required)*

    I’m miserable in these NE winters but I love that other people find joy in them! Life would be boring if everyone’s tastes and preferences were the same.

    I have only ever trotted out the morally smug and utterly killjoy “You know that hypothermia kills unhoused people, right?” once, and it was after quietly seething for weeks about the target of my ire just as smugly and snottily telling me “If you hate the winter so much then move!” all because I dared not to match her enthusiasm over winter weather. My guess would be that LW’s colleague somehow internalized someone else’s joy as a personal attack to respond with such unexpected vehemence.

  122. Nuke*

    As a lifetime Upstate New Yorker who hates any temperature under 60 degrees… I also get excited for snow. My puppy got to see his first snow this year. It makes the world pretty. I have to deal with people around me who complain about any temperature ABOVE 60, and they do the same sort of thing, talking about how heatstroke is so dangerous, people die when it’s hot, etc etc… meanwhile the other side of the country gets temps 20 degrees higher than ours, always. No matter what, if someone is talking about being excited for the weather, and you jump in with “um, actually, did you know people die because weather sometimes? and I personally hate it for reasons?” you are a weird buzzkill. Especially if it’s seasonally appropriate. This particular storm missed my neck of the woods, but I wouldn’t have minded a bit more snow this winter!

    Some people. I swear.

  123. Mike D*

    I’m a manager in Austin and the one time we had snow during work hours I actually encouraged everybody to go outside and throw snowballs.

  124. Always Tired*

    Anyone else remember when that one corner of twitter blew up because apparently making chili for your new passel-of-college-boys neighbors without asking is classist and ableist and an assault and literally the worst? Because for some reason I am thinking about that right now. (And if you’re not familiar, google “twitter chili neighbor” and enjoy.)

    Snow is also actually needed in most places where it happens. Animal and plant lifecycles depend on it. Both for the cold right now, and the additional water during thaw, both locally and up stream. One cannot stop nature, might as well enjoy it if you can, and donate to help those who can’t. (I say this as someone who plans trips trough burn scars the spring after wildfires, because you get some amazing wildflower displays. Quite a few plants respond to the post fire environment with rapid germination and growth, and are referred to as “fire followers” because of it.)

  125. Two Fish*

    This is the classic “one weirdo imposing their opinion on you as though it’s universal” case.

    “Adults recognize snow is a bad thing”? Lol this person is just spouting crackpot nonsense.

  126. another fed*

    As someone who grew up in the Great Plains/Tornado Alley/flyover ag center who went to school at the University that studies droughts on an international scales, I also know that snow is also good news for farmers especially when we get multiple waves of it. hopefully with no more than minor flooding, but also refills underground water supplies like the Ogallala acquifer. Snow helps America feed the world!

  127. Lana Kane*

    I really dislike the term “virtue signaling” because usually it’s used as a pejorative for people who care about stuff, but this dude is absolutely virtue signaling.

  128. ELIZABETH*

    in Minnesota, you can’t get away from snow (except this year :( ).
    After last night’s >5″ snow, if I said “yea! finally more snow”, no one would say anything.

    1. Forrest Rhodes*

      Exactly. The coworker seems to be the kind of person who just can’t get over the fact that somebody, somewhere, must be enjoying something—and their goal is to Stamp. It. Out.

  130. Immortal for a limited time*

    Snow IS A NORMAL THING. It’s not a bad thing, and anyone who says that is, frankly, dumb or at least embarrassingly uninformed. I live in a cold, northern climate (where it happens to be snowing hard today) but we’re at only 60% of normal snowpack. Unless things change dramatically in the next few months, this means dry conditions next summer. Which means hardship for farmers, ranchers. Which means higher wildfire risk. Which means lakes and reservoirs might not fill. Which affects everyone downstream, not to mention recreationalists and everyone whose livelihood depends on recreation. Ask this uninformed coworker how much they’re looking forward to all of that.

  131. ChipDust*

    For many years I worked as a nurse at a company with ZERO tolerance for not making it to work due to weather. It’s the northern Midwest where we do indeed get snow. Blizzards. Walls of snow at the end of the driveway. You were actually encouraged to sleep in the office if it meant you were on time the next morning.

    As a result the histrionics over the drive to work were legendary. Accidents, pile ups, 5 hour commutes. But we absolutely never stopped talking about it.

    1. Angstrom*

      There are some critical jobs that justify heroic measures to get to work. Mine isn’t one of them. For the few truly bad storms, I stay home. My experience is that people get in late, spend the day talking about the weather and the driving, and then leave early, with very little actual work being accomplished.

  132. Wintermute*

    I’d also like to point out the First Rule of Loons: for every person who is unhinged there is an equal and opposite loon.

    So for every person you meet who is this upset about you mentioning snow, there is another out there that would think you’re bizarre and maybe pretty dumb for not mentioning the snow coming. For every hiring manager that will delete any resume in .docx format another will delete every .doc. It’s the way of the world

    It’s tempting when you’ve had a bad experience to try to read the tea leaves and figure out what you did wrong. One thing I’ve learned in my decades on this planet is the vast majority of the time you didn’t do anything wrong but meet someone mean.

  133. DreamOfWinter*

    As my screen name probably indicates, I’m on Team Snow. I think your coworker is being ridiculous! Some people like hot weather and some like cold weather; what’s fun for you may not be fun for me and all that. Shame on her for yucking your yum.

  134. OhGee*

    I am literally doing research on how climate change-induced extreme weather affects homeless people and I still love snow. It’s ok to have two opposing feelings about a subject!

  135. Punk-ass Book Jockey*

    Earlier this week I said ‘We don’t all have to like the same things, but enjoying the snow sure makes living here more fun.’

  136. Worldwalker*

    The adults who think snow is a bad thing exclude skiers (both downhill and cross-country), snowboarders, snowmobilers, snowshoers, dogsledders, photographers, and the promoters of winter festivals. Also all the people who operate ski resorts, sell equipment for all those activities, etc. And me.

    1. goddessoftransitory*

      And all the animals/plants that absolutely rely on snowpack to maintain their existence, as well!

  137. Switz4219*

    LW, I have an uneasy relationship with both summer and winter, because I am white like a ghost (once got sunburned walking across a parking lot) and ridiculously accident-prone (broke my ankle in three places, plus disloacted it for good measure, when I slipped in snow; I fell over and my foot…didn’t). It would probably be better for me if I went everywhere encased in bubble wrap. And I still can’t imagine getting myself to that level of frothing rage over WEATHER. Your colleague is bonkers.

  138. Eldest Child of My Workplace*

    So. This is a thing that happens a lot when someone first gets into social justice stuff. They get overenthusiastic and they try to apply social justice language to things where it’s not needed. But people have a tendency to act as if someone getting a bit OTT about social justice is more offensive than actual bigoted behaviour, in much the same way that many of my fellow middle class white people are fine with police brutality against people they deem Undesirables but scream at retail employees who ask to check their bag. One person being a bit precious doesn’t mean you’re being censored from ever talking about the weather, so move on.

  139. nnn*

    I feel like they shouldn’t go around proactively asking people what they’re looking forward to if they can’t cope with “I have positive feelings about the weather forecast”

  140. raincoaster*

    I live in Ottawa, and a solid 80% of our tourism industry is snow-related. Outdoor skating rinks here have their own social media accounts. I said today that waiting for the Rideau Canal Skateway to open is the most suspenseful sporting event in the country. If it does reopen, people will take the day off to celebrate.

    That manager is a literal spoilsport, and that’s why nobody likes her.

  141. stratospherica*

    As someone who has come to certifiably Hate Snow (after living for a few years in an area that consistently got knee-deep snow every year for five months), the idea that you’re not allowed to be excited for snow is ridiculous. I’ll grumble about it myself, but why steal joy from someone else? Conversely, I really like summer and I’m not going to let anyone tell me that I should be miserable with how hot it gets.

  142. Kstruggles (Canada)*

    I have worked with so many people who hate snow and put me down for it living in a snow having part of Canada (who has also noticed a drastic change in weather over the past 30 years. Advantage of not moving away from my home city). You are required to like bright sunny days tgat mean perfect road conditions and required to hate everything else it frequently feels like.

    I only agree with hating fog. Especially in winter.

    1. goddessoftransitory*

      We had some stupendous fog here in Seattle a few months ago: we could see it rolling in up towards our place like a snow dragon’s breath and it was so dramatic!

    2. stratospherica*

      See, your hate of fog is valid but I love fog! It’s so mysterious and dramatic and makes me want to go out into the woods in an old nightgown and wail (personal proclivity).

      Then again I don’t drive so my opinion may be influenced by that.

  143. Mosquito*

    A lot of food crops like stone fruit depend on hard freezes to grow, and most crops require bioregionally-appropriate weather to succeed,and therefore all adults know that being weird about the weather is insensitive to starving people.

    1. ThatOtherClare*

      Yes! Most trees need a substantial cold period in order to kick start their next growth period. That’s why indoor bonsai trees aren’t really a thing (sadly). So not only is the snow protecting crops, it’s also protecting all the native trees in snowy areas, and hence all of the wildlife biodiversity. The environment in the letter writer’s country would collapse without the snow. Adults know that promoting total environmental collapse is insensitive to poor people.

  144. Happily Retired*

    Heat kills many, many more people than does the cold. You didn’t live in an area with no history of snow; you’re looking at a (brief) resumption of normal weather – snow! – for your area. Everyone should acknowledge that getting some snow at your latitude is how your local climate ought to be, as opposed to 88°F in mid-May or something.

    Your office scold should take his/her energy to local climate change initiatives.

  145. ThatOtherClare*

    You know the experiment where the scientist shows a child a box of candy and ask the child what’s in the box, and the child says “Candy!”, and the scientist says “Sike! It’s a crayon, see? Now, if I show your Mommy the box, what will she say is on the inside?”?

    Clearly this person never got past the development stage where their answer is “A crayon!!!”

    Different people have different thoughts about stuff and grown-ups are cool with this.

  146. DJ Abbott*

    OP, how well do you know this man who scolded you? He sounds like the type who’s always going to find a reason to criticize. Does he do this with other things and people too? Or do you not know him well enough to know?
    Just ignore Negative Ned, and enjoy the winter weather! :)

  147. strawberry milk charlotte*

    (LONGtime lurker, first time comment, hi everyone!)

    OP I can absolutely empathize with seeing red in this interaction for a split second. Especially as someone this person would label as childish! (I love snow! I get excited about things! I also respond to questions soliciting positive answers with, shocker, positive answers! Scandal!) As long as the anger was brief (and internal), I think it’s reasonable to be put out/pissed off by this. Your coworker’s response was bizarre.

    They asked you about something positive, you responded in good faith, and apparently in the conversational rulebook they’re playing from, the appropriate response was “Lecture my coworker about how enjoying things is childish and selfish.” They turned a pleasantry into a gotcha! That’s rude.

    After this I’d consider putting this person into the boring/mild response zone to avoid repeating this kind of interaction. Or to observe it play out again over an even more benign topic (for science? anthropology? fun?). Glad you asked, coworker, I’m gonna get caught up on laundry! I think it’s time to water my houseplants. Oh I haven’t told you? It’s wash-the-baseboards Wednesday!

    People are fascinating.

    1. HonorBox*

      Welcome commenter!

      Thank you for the reminder that I need to water my plants and wash my baseboards too! :)

    2. Anna*

      OP, I pretty much hate snow.

      But people being openly excited about it doesn’t bother me at all. Like, at all. Not even a tiny bit of momentary “ugh” or anything of that nature. Not even if the whole room of people is excited. Not even if it’s all they are talking about that day. Not even if the conversation spins back up after an e-mail from up the leadership chain comes in about the weather procedures relating to snow cancellations. Not even if, somehow, the snow e-mails start a reply all storm. (I say this all confidently, because I have experienced each of these snow-related social scenarios LOL)

      FWIW plenty of grown adults at my job get excited for the snow (and… I maybe get a little excited to whine a bit about the snow LOL ). This is just someone looking for a reason to be upset.

  148. Ami Abroad*

    So I live and work in Northern Europe.
    A new coworker from Australia recently saw the snow coming down and hopped outside to take pictures, explainig she’d never seen it before.
    I curiously followed and saw her dancing in the fluffy snowflakes going “Yaay!”. Made some clips for her.
    At a later time, she learned about ice, blocked roads, and disrupted public transportation.
    We now all agree snow is beautiful and is great for sports, buy may have some downsides.

    tldr:
    Let everybody enjoy the beauty while it lasts. We all will have to shovel later.

  150. Over Analyst*

    I don’t even generally like snow, and I was excited when we were supposed to get our first storm of the season! For me it’s being cozy in my pjs all day with a warm beverage and comfort food cooking on the stove.

  151. HonorBox*

    “Insensitive” is such an overreach, I’m curious about this person’s judgement about basically everything.

    I moved South and have seen snow once since moving. I don’t miss clearing snow from my driveway, driving 10 mph on unplowed roads, and the need to bundle up for everything for several months at a time, but snow as a concept is great. It can be a lot of fun and to say you’re looking forward to it makes you a human the same way a friend telling you how much they love to take a bath is human. People have died in the bathtub too, but I’m not telling my buddy that it is insensitive that he loves to take a bath.

  152. Cheese Tax*

    This is what happens when DEI is misaligned from it’s original purpose. This is also the result of people being chronically online.

  153. Exhausted*

    I hate snow and when people tell me they’re excited, I usually smile politely. If they go into greater detail, I will just say, “I’m sorry, but snow makes me pretty anxious so I’d rather not talk about it more.” The only time I would be mad or feel they were inappropriate would be if they insisted I should love snow or tried to convince me or simply refused to stop discussing it. Just like any other topic that I ask to be off limits. If they try it again a month later, I will not expect them to remember and I will have the same conversation. I do not discuss “bad” weather (snow, rain, extreme heat, etc.) because I know that it bothers me, and therefore I assume it could bother others. But I don’t expect everyone to walk on eggshells around me just in case I’m sensitive to something.

    1. Elliot*

      This! I hate snow and it makes me so anxious, so sometimes when people are in their discussion of “how much do you think we’ll get?” “Oh I heard 8 inches!” “No, this channel said 12!” I’ll politely ask them to change the subject as it makes me anxious. A good friend of mine lost two family members and his arm in a snow-related car crash, my mom once fell down steps and broke 6 ribs, I’ve been in a few scary car situations, and it’s just not something that makes me feel good to talk about.
      BUT. If others like it I would never call them insensitive or wrong! A polite “This makes me anxious, can we change the subject?” goes a long way! I’ve even borrowed Allison’s advice to make it into a quirk about ME (which it really is) as opposed to blaming others.
      OP, your colleague is bizarre and totally in the wrong.

  154. CTA*

    I’m sorry to hear this happened. I totally get why you see red. I’d be teed off too if someone was taking out there anger on me, too, and turning something innocuous (joy about snow) into something bad.

  155. JelloStapler*

    People are now gatekeeping weather?
    As a snow-loving person in their 40s who has been continuously annoyed at the lack of snow in her midwest state- I too would be celebrating a snowstorm coming!

    1. JelloStapler*

      But I would hate discussion about tornados… but would just smile nicely like Exhausted said above.

  157. iglwif*

    What on EARTH.

    I love snow and I’m generally happy to see some arriving. I know cold weather is awful for unhoused people (that’s true even when it isn’t snowing, and is OP’s coworker aware that the temperature is often colder when it’s not snowing?).

    But snow is also part of how food and drinking water happen. If your area should get a substantial amount of snow and hasn’t been getting any, it’s totally appropriate to be happy that some precipitation finally happened! Just like it would be appropriate to be happy that it’s raining during a drought!

  158. BikeWalkBarb*

    The person who asked what people are looking forward to failed to understand the purpose of that question. It wasn’t so they could judge the morality of answers. It’s meant to be a question that builds connection and a sense of belonging, not a chance to kick you off the island.

    On my team I open every staff meeting with Connection Before Content. It’s about 5 minutes or so to answer a question live or via chat or do something else. I’ve opened it with a 5-minute dance break (cameras optional); another time everyone shared a photo of their pet or a favorite animal GIF or meme. Other team members also suggest questions and lead this part of the agenda. The point is to reset our minds so we truly leave the meeting before this one, and with questions it’s so a 100% online team can have a sense of camaraderie and know each other the way we would if we had the chance for hallway and lunchroom encounters. It’s a No Judgment Zone and excitement about anything is very, very welcome. It’s a shame this person rode their high horse into the end of the meeting.

  160. Greg*

    OP’s coworker sounds like the real-life version of a satirical tweet I recently saw: “Before you express your opinion on something, have you considered whether that opinion encompasses the entirety of the human condition?”

  161. SopranoH*

    The first decade and a half of my career I worked in a job that couldn’t close and penalized you for using weather as an excuse. Would I get annoyed at people with 9-5s being happy about the snow while I was slipping on the midatlantic snow/ice mix. Yes. Was I jumping down someone’s throat. No.

  162. OMG It's 2024*

    And the next time one of those virtue signalers about the OP’s snow enthusiasm says, “OMG I cannot wait for summer,” OP should say, “What? How insensitive can you be?! There are unhoused people getting sunburnt, suffering heat exhaustion and sunstroke because they’re forced to wear all of their clothing and have no way to get relief from the sun!” Ughhhh. I can’t even with people like this!

  163. Lindsay*

    If you ever get a chance to revisit that conversation, I don’t think it would be amiss to point out that lack of/not enough snowfall can lead to drought, which can cause the price of food to be driven up (not the only effect but definitely one of them), and that that also harms (and can potentially create more) unhoused people. Snow serves an important purpose in drought prevention!

  164. Mihalyka*

    Never mind that we NEED snow (and are getting less and less of it) for environmental reasons—for slow, gradual snowmelt among many other reasons.

    One could say it’s insensitive to COMPLAIN about snow, .

  165. Elio*

    They really sound like jerks. Plus the virtue signaling about homeless people makes me roll my eyes. There’s nothing wrong with enjoying the snow.

    Actual adults know how to recognize small talk. Also, I like the snowpack because it will help my state be less on fire in the summer.

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