Scott Thompson: Are you embracing winter?

It’s easy to complain about a Canadian winter especially considering the one we have been experiencing this year.

The key to surviving the winter blahs is to embrace and participate in the season instead of dreading it.

Ask someone who lives in a place where the winter is longer and more severe than ours (which is most of Canada) and how they survive.

It’s not by whining like we hear in southern Ontario.

Albertans and Quebecers are the best at turning the cold weather into a reason to socialize and celebrate.

Besides, what else are you going to do? Freeze?

There is no better example of this than Derek Parker who lives just outside Montreal.

Derek decided to build his own ice bar in his backyard to watch the game with his friends.

His ice palace is complete with roof, lights in the walls, fire pit, seating, big screen, full bar and of course, plenty of ice.

Every night, Derek would fill countless plastic five-gallon buckets. Every day, he would pop out the frozen cylindrical blocks and build.

Derek is not experiencing the February blahs — quite the opposite, now he is having too much fun in the dreary season.

Every night his igloo/sports bar is filled to the brim with neighbours hoisting a hot or cold toddy and cheering the game.

It’s become quite consuming for Derek, to say the least, like a good Canadian winter.

Scott Thompson hosts The Scott Thompson Show! on 900 CHML and is a commentator for Global News.