That's the big difference between the north of Sweden and the south.
In the north of Sweden the winter is very nice as the snow reflects the light well and makes it a lot brighter, although as you say it's currently dark without snow, which sucks.
But in the south you don't have as much snow, so the winter is mostly a very dark (and wet). The joke goes that there are only two seasons in the south: summer and autumn.
I really do hate snowless winters. The northeastern US has had terribly brown winters lately. I'd rather it be 0C and snowy vs. a relatively mild 10C and brown.
Thanks, I spent the whole day reading this awesome blog, thank you so much for posting it!
I loved the articles about their daily life at the Pole, it feels surreal to see an almost regular building with kitchens, showers and other amenities on the South Pole.
I can relate to a lot of this article’s allure of winter, snow, and night, all three things I love.
All of them bring a sense of calm, even when being outdoors. Snow literally makes being outside quieter.
I’ve often felt like a weirdo for liking these three, but I don’t care. E.g. I also like DST causing the night to start earlier.
To be clear, though, I also like other seasons, and while I don’t enjoy losing an hour at the start of Standard Time, by then I’m ready for the instant extra hour of sun before bedtime — much like I’m sure the people of Longyearbyen are ready for the end of polar night.
I posted alternative means to solve the problem presented in addition to my commentary. Many users don’t read submissions or the guidelines, so I’m not sure how I’m lower effort than either of you, which is beside OP’s point, yours, and my own.
For one thing, “day” felt less like “day” in the sense that the sun never fully rose, it just peeked above the horizon for a few hours.
And for another, it was harder than I expected. For the first time in my life, I _felt_ a need for sunshine.