What Californians Love About Winter

A scholar who moved from New York to the Bay Area emailed maine recently, “The champion portion of wintertime successful California is that determination is nary winter.”

For galore of us, it seems, the lack of a dreary, earmuff-and-long-underwear-filled acold play is simply a constituent of pride, a clip to consciousness particularly smug astir California’s temperate climate.

Take this postcard from 1905 published this week successful The Los Angeles Times.

It depicts “Winter successful California” with thenar trees and bluish skies. And successful 1 corner, a glimpse of “back East” — a antheral bundled up and lasting successful knee-deep snow.

Yet wintertime present is much than conscionable the deficiency of thing unpleasant. There’s the beauteous debased space of the sunlight, the dependable of rainfall pattering connected the roof, the beaches escaped of tourists and the abundance of citrus crops.

To observe the commencement of the season, you shared with maine your favourite things astir wintertime successful the Golden State:

“For those of america surviving connected the Central Coast, the champion happening astir wintertime is the prima mounting implicit the water. Whether the entity is cloudy oregon clear, the sunsets are spectacular. My neighbour and I laughter astatine ourselves for taking photos nighttime aft nighttime — arsenic though we were ne'er going to spot different one.” — Lise Peterson, Aptos

“I americium a secondary teacher successful L.A. Originally being from Ohio, I americium ever fascinated and entertained by students’ reactions to ‘winter weather.’

A pupil who got bedewed from the rain: ‘Ms., tin I spell location and alteration clothes?’

When I inquire them to instrumentality disconnected their sweatshirt hoods: ‘But Ms., it’s COLD!’

Not to notation that they effort to tally and descent by their shoes connected the bedewed factual successful our quad, seemingly without fearfulness of falling.

Nonetheless, being truthful utilized to lukewarm weather, astir of my students person reported wintertime arsenic their favourite season.” — Hanna Hixson, Los Angeles

“Winter successful California is erstwhile we get our rain. The rainfall brings america water, of course, and we are ever grateful for each driblet that comes.

But for me, the champion portion of a rainstorm is the time after. The time aft is chill but not acold and determination is usually a breeze. The clouds drift by successful a entity that is bluer than blue. The aerial is magical — it is chill and moist and carries a scent of trees, loam and grass. The rainfall has washed distant the particulate and grime truthful everything sparkles.

When I instrumentality location for immoderate beverage oregon cocoa, I recognize that I genuinely unrecorded successful heaven.” — Evelyn Harris, Mendocino

“I spent the archetypal 30 years of my beingness connected the East Coast, wherever winters meant six months of desolate grey deadness and bone-aching immobilizing cold. Winters for maine present successful the Bay Area are the lush verdant greenness similar that of East Coast springtimes.

Our winter’s greenish hills, bluish skies and sunshine each but cure my wintertime blues.” — Julie McPherson, Pleasant Hill

“The champion portion of wintertime successful California is the ability, wrong the aforesaid day, to spell to the beach, past bundle up and thrust 45 minutes to the section snow. If you’re truly ambitious, you tin commencement oregon extremity the time with a repast crossed the borderline successful Mexico.” — Shannon Williams-Morris, San Diego

“I similar being successful the backcountry erstwhile it snows. I rotation astir and instrumentality countless pictures of monochromatic landscapes, imprints successful the snowfall revealing each measurement I take. I perceive the upwind susurration successful trees acold distant arsenic it sweeps down the canyon, blowing achromatic magic betwixt onshore and sky, and carrying hints of my children’s laughter to me. Yet different 1 of winter’s countless gifts.

The occurrence crackles and sizzles erstwhile we travel wrong and shed our wintertime clothes. We’re welcomed by the aroma of the wood stove mingling with breadstuff baking successful the oven. The soundlessness of snowfall falling resonates arsenic nighttime falls, and we devour lukewarm meals, play games and autumn dormant knowing we’ll aftermath up and bash it each again.” — Lindsey Nieman, Truckee

For more:

• Winter TV: 20 shows you mightiness not cognize already.

• The Los Angeles Times’s question conception compiled a database of the champion places to sojourn this winter.

• Sixteen things to bash during wintertime successful Los Angeles, from TimeOut.

The remainder of the news

• Super Bowl stays put: N.F.L. officials accidental the Super Bowl, conscionable 1 period away, volition inactive instrumentality spot successful Inglewood contempt a emergence successful coronavirus cases, The Associated Press reports.

• Sirhan Sirhan: Gov. Gavin Newsom has denied parole to the antheral convicted of assassinating Robert F. Kennedy.

• Mental wellness curriculum: A authorities instrumentality that went into effect Jan. 1 requires each schoolhouse districts that connection wellness classes to see intelligence wellness arsenic portion of the curriculum, KQED reports.

• Tech companies: Newsom solicited donations totaling astir $227 cardinal from Facebook, Google, Blue Shield and different backstage California companies, The Associated Press reports.

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

• House fire: A blaze astatine the San Diego location of 2 Democratic politicians is being treated arsenic suspicious by the police, The Guardian reports.

• Burned cars: An arson squad is investigating aft respective cars and a carport were destroyed successful a occurrence successful Santa Clarita connected Thursday, KTLA5 reports.

• Rocket launch: A Virgin Orbit rocket released from a pitchy flying disconnected the California seashore carried 7 tiny satellites into abstraction connected Thursday, The Associated Press reports.

CENTRAL CALIFORNIA

• Mysterious deaths: The parent of 3 children recovered dormant wrong a Merced County location has been charged with murder, The Associated Press reports.

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA

• Pacific newts: Cars are annihilating the tiny amphibians, but tin national scientists forestall different massacre? Atlas Obscura reports.

Where we’re traveling

Today’s question extremity comes from Carol Marsh, a scholar who lives successful Missoula, Mont. Carol recommends Muir Woods:

“Towering redwoods springiness a cathedral ambience to the euphony of h2o flowing mildly implicit rocks beside level paths. Hikers tin ascent steeper paths into the surrounding mountain.

I present unrecorded respective states away, and I haven’t been to Muir Woods successful decades, but it remains vivid and everlastingly my favourite place.”

Tell america astir your favourite places to sojourn successful California. Email your suggestions to CAtoday@nytimes.com. We’ll beryllium sharing much successful upcoming editions of the newsletter.

And earlier you go, immoderate bully news

Craving Thin Mints? Maybe immoderate Samoas?

This year, you tin bid Girl Scout cookies to beryllium instantly delivered to your door, KTLA5 reports. The caller enactment comes arsenic the Girl Scouts debut 2 caller cooky flavors.

Enjoy!

Thanks for reading. We’ll beryllium disconnected Monday due to the fact that of Martin Luther King’s Birthday. See you Tuesday. — Soumya

P.S. Here’s today’s Mini Crossword, and a clue: “Hush, you!” (5 letters).

Jonah Candelario, Steven Moity and Mariel Wamsley contributed to California Today. You tin scope the squad astatine CAtoday@nytimes.com.

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