November ...and out comes the boots, coats, gloves and hats. Today was our first 0C temperature...with a little bit of snow predicted later today.
This is part of life in Canada...and if you are thinking of moving here....you have to learn how to embrace it. Of course, part of Canadian life is also complaining about the weather no matter what it is :)
Your first Winter, my advice is to spend some money and get a really good quality coat / jacket and good boots. Boots have to take care of -25 and below temperatures and make sure you wear woolen socks. If you are going to be walking around a lot in snow because of your job, or to walk to the bus stop.....you may have to invest in two pairs of boots. No one wants to wear a wet and freezing cold pair of boots from the day before.
Also, get used to wearing layers including thermals underneath your pants/jeans and shirts. Thermals and every layer of clothing you have on, traps a layer of heat between you and the cold air. Layers help to keep you warm more than just a big thick coat on top of your clothes. Also, once you are in a warm environment again you have to remove your coat, gloves etc and if you have layers you can keep on or take off what you want accordingly.
Most Winters we end up getting new gloves (somehow these tend to get lost quite easily, and like socks you somehow end up with a pile of just one glove from a few pairs) and also new hats and scarves, just so that you are not bored wearing the same thing everyday.
If you plan on living further up North....you may need even heavier Winter wear including thick thermals.
You don't have to worry too much about how you will know what to wear. Any store you enter will have Canadians happy to help new immigrants with their first Winter wardrobe. Every year I see people in department and clothing stores getting help with the right kind of coat, what to get for the kids and the confusion about the 100's of different kinds of boots that you will find.
You will also have to get a boot tray similar to this one. It is available everywhere including the Dollar Store. Keep it by your front door and keep your boots here. Snow tends to bring in a lot of dirt, and you don't want the melted dirty snow all over your carpet or floor.
Here is a picture of how you will be dressed during Winter.
Hope this was of some help.
1 comment:
I couldn't agree more with your post! I've come to learn that investing in proper winter gear is key to living in Canada. The weather is not only a shock to those of us migrating from warmer places, it's surprising how severe it can get. When I came to Canada from Syria, the cold weather was hard to settle into. And if you have young children, you can never go wrong with investing in a boot tray. You definitely do not want a messy house from melted dirty snow. And yes, department store representatives are always more than happy to help immigrants trying to find the best winter wear. I've noticed this when Syrian Refugees are struggling to find what's best for Canadian weather. Thank you for sharing your thoughts! Keep up the writing!
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