It took a while to fully settle in, but it seems that winter is here for the long haul. While some people are excited to see the return of winter, there are still plenty of people that are trying to reconcile the loss of those long, warm summer days. Our friends in Grand Rapids created a list of the stages of winter grief, but we decided to put our own spin on it.

  • 1

    Denial

    The first step to processing grief is to admit that you're struggling with it. When temperatures plummet to 20 below, anything above freezing might be considered summer weather. It's important to remember though, that if you insist on wearing shorts, it's probably time for a reality check.

  • 2

    Anger

    This stage can last several months. Symptoms may include: swearing, pointless kicking at ice buildups behind car wheels or snowbanks, and general grumpiness at having to leave the house. If you experience this, go back inside and make yourself a mug of hot chocolate to sip until the weather becomes somewhat tolerable and your vehicle starts.

  • 3

    Bargaining

    When the weather gets this cold, bargaining for a lot of outcomes might happen. One person promise to fill up the car at half a tank if it will just start, while another might ask to make that one last trip to Denver or Fort Collins and agree to stay in next weekend. Some people don't leave this stage, and continue to make bargains into June just to survive the winter.

  • 4

    Depression

    When you get up to go to work before the sun rises and come home after it sets, it's easy to feel like all of the happiness has been sucked out of your life. One temporary remedy might be to head down to your favorite watering hole. After all, misery loves company.

  • 5

    Acceptance

    Accepting that winter is here to stay is about as easy as digging your car out of a snow drift. But once you finally resign yourself to waking up half an hour earlier to scrape off and warm up your car, you can take solace in the knowledge that spring will eventually come and drive away the cold.

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