Top ten winter blues

For bad winter weather and Christmas both make it into the top ten things we love to hate about winter.

A new poll by USwitch.com puts colds and flu at the top of the winter woes chart, with many of our seasonal blues influenced by the weather.

We moan about high energy bills, slipping on ice, the cold, snow, having to carry an umbrella everywhere and trying to use our phones while wearing gloves.

The top 20 worst things about winter are:

1. Colds and flu

2. High energy bills

3. How dark it is in the mornings

4. The weather

5. Christmas – marketing, festive songs and saving for presents

6. Slipping on ice

7. How cold it is at home

8. Getting up early to de-ice the car

9. Feeling miserable

10. Clocks going back

11. Everyone’s grumpy

12. People being dramatic about bad weather conditions

13. Drivers slithering around in the snow, blocking routes

14. People wearing summer clothes and then complaining that they’re cold

15. More parents clogging up roads by driving children to school

16. Commuting or train delays

17. Rubbish on the TV

18. Trying to use your phone while wearing gloves

19. Having to carry an umbrella everywhere

20. Cost of going out.

We also don’t like seeing pets in jumpers, but more of us grumble about people wearing summer clothes in winter.

However, we also prepare for the worst winter can throw at us – our top ten “must do” items are:

1. Turn on the heating

2. Put a warmer duvet on the bed

3. Get jumpers out the cupboard

4. Cut the garden back

5. Put summer clothes away

6. Get the boiler serviced

7. Stock up on tins of soup

8. Buy a new coat

9. Get the car serviced

10. Buy new gloves and a hat.

So as predictions of the worst winter for years abound, time to go and get ready for winter – and Christmas, just less than eight weeks to go!