Every season has its flaws. Spring brings allergies and rain that never seems to stop, summer is too hot and sticky and full of sunburns and bug bites, fall is beautiful sure but the pumpkin spice and falling leaves cant hide the slow slide into darker days. And then there’s winter – the season that makes all the other seasons’ problems feel like minor inconveniences. Cold, dark, and relentless, winter is more than just annoying; it’s downright miserable, and I’ve never understood how anyone can actually enjoy it.

Winter hits harder than any other season. December tricks you with lights, concerts, hot chocolate, and the idea that you’ll actually “rest over break,” but soon enough, the cold hits and the illusion shatters. You’re back at school, it’s dark by 5 p.m., and everything hurts. The sidewalks are slippery, your fingers freeze walking to school, and everything feels heavier, especially your backpack. The first morning back is always chaos. You go from sleeping in until noon to waking up at 6:30 a.m., staring at yourself like you dont even know who you are.

Last winter was especially cursed for me. That’s when my APUSH and AP Chem midterms landed on the same day back-to-back, like someone wanted to see if I could survive spontaneous combustion. I was sweating so much I thought the classroom thermostat was broken. In AP Chem I shaded my Scantron like my life depended on it. In APUSH I tried to remember whose presidency lined up with Bleeding Kansas, only to realize I had no clue.

And the results?

AP Chem: A

APUSH: D

The academic equivalent of winning the lottery and getting hit by a bus on the same day.

I spent the next month trying to resuscitate my APUSH grade like it was a patient in cardiac arrest – defibrillator paddles replaced by KCOs submitted on time, CPR replaced by as much extra credit as I could find, ventilating it back to life with every class discussion I participated in. Every assignment felt like a life-or-death operation; one misstep and my grade would flatline again.

Even outside midterms, winter makes everything harder. The cold is brutal, it’s the kind that makes your face ache and your fingers feel like icicles even through four layers of clothes. The hallways are silent, filled with students who shuffle past like they’ve been on life support themselves. Even the school seems to sense the despair, the lights flicker more, chairs feel colder, and everyone’s energy is at like 15%.

Winter is the worst. It’s long, gray, and never really does what you want: snow one day, freezing rain the next. You’re slipping on the sidewalks, shivering on the bus, and trying not to drop your backpack in a snowbank. Just getting through the day while staying on top of homework and pretending you have any energy left feels impossible.

That’s why I hate it so much. Winter wears you out, it makes even small wins, like finishing homework, surviving the bus, or just making it to the end of the day without freezing, feel like a huge deal. By the time spring finally shows up, you’re actually happy just to feel the sun on your face, walk through a warm hallway, or breathe without your nose freezing. Winter is cold, dark, miserable, and just long enough to make you really appreciate everything that comes after it.