- So, for me it's tons of candles, too. There can never be enough. A fire place would be even cooler, if I had one. - And insence sticks burning (woodsy scents, cinnamon, pine, cedar...). - Strung up fairy lights (not just for X-Mas, but in generaal). - Solar lamps that flicker like real fire torches for the balcony. Looks so rustic and cosy! - Walks in the forest with a thermos bottle full of hot chocolate (can be laced with a shot of rum ;-) ). And warm gloves and scarves. Woolen socks! - Hot bubble baths after a cold day outdoors, and staying in the tub for an hour just relaxing and maybe reading a book. - Feeding birds and squirrels on my balcony, which are a JOY every day to watch! So cute, you just can't be in a gloomy mood when you see them. - Or also taking bird seeds and nuts to the woods for the animals in the wild, just because it makes me happy to know they won't go hungry in winter. - Snuggling up with a hot water bottle (I'm always surprised how many people from other countries don't even know what that is - it's the BEST invention for cold feet, cold thighs, or just in general to cuddle something warm). - Supplementing with 4000 I.U. vitamin D each day (in summer I take only 2000 I.U. a day). By the way, it should be taken with vitamin K. It works wonders for my general depression, and makes the "winter blues" on top of that more bearable. - The rare occasions we get snow here, I'll be out there! Taking lots of photos, which is a passion of mine. Also, nothing is more magical than a night walk through a snowy forest or park on a moonlit night! - Baking some comfort food, like cinnamon flavored muffins with apples or chocolate in them. - I do like the colorful X-Mas time, but to be honest, come January I'm glad the hustle and bustle is over, and I'm happy to redecorate with more subdued colors and more white, to really embrace the "barren" part of winter. Instead of it feeling boring to me, it's like a detox and coming down from the sensory overload of the X-Mas time. It's nature's time for hibernation, and we, too, can benefit from taking some time to consciously relax more. - Sauna I theoretically LOVE. But for me it's too expensive, and now with the pandemic, I wouldn't want to hang out so close to people in a small room and potentially getting infected. I miss it, though! - For the very crazy ones: ice swimming! I always wanted to try it, but in recent years our lakes don't freeze anymore. Look for Jonna Jinton's channel. She's from Sweden and shows her beautiful life in the even colder winters up there, and she loves ice swimming. - Coffee and gingerbread for breakfast. - Faux-Fur bed linens/sheets! Sooo warm, fuzzy, cosy and fun! Makes me feel like I'm sleeping in a medieval castle in soft wolf fur, only without harming an animal. - Roast your own almonds and caramelize them, X-Mas Market style, maybe even adding gingerbread spice or just cinnamon. Snack them on a movie night at home. ...there are a thousand little things, that can make winter enjoyable, and usually I save (most) of these things for winter to make them feel special and like a more rare treat. In general, though, summer is my favorite season, too. And I do love the colorful autumn, which seems to be especially vibrant this year. 🙂
WOW! Thank you so much for all your great ideas! We literally just pictures them all and they created a very romantic, cozy, and looking forward winter feeling!! We also LOVE fireplaces, but unfortunately don’t have one…not a balcony 🙈. Jen loves the comfort food idea 😅.
+1 for the rare occurence of someone making an adequate vitamin-d +k recommendation. The doctors here are 10+ years behind the research and the general recommendations here are guaranteed to "not work", basically.
Great ideas. Just adding 2 or 3 things … Before you get a supplement check your blood and get informed very well. Magnesium and Calcium also take a big role in this. For me it also does wonders in my general mood. Actually Christmas or the celebration in former times on solstice is for the sun to come back! The days are getting longer from that on an we have some really cool rituals around that (Rauhnächte for example). And during Jan & Feb you can always have Vorfreude for Fastnacht/Karneval - at least I do. Comming from the south we have more of a whitches, forest elves and trolls thing going on with scary traditional masks and Schabernack.
Hello.... I know, everybody's gonna hate me, but I enjoy Oktober - April😊 Each year I live in fear of hot summertimes where I just can't go out because it is way tooooo hot. In wintertime I can go out, use the right clothes, inside it is "gemütlich"....
This is going to my 3rd winter experience in Germany. Watching the video made me realize how moody things can get, especially in Jan & Feb as Jen mentioned. Well, I have learned from my previous experiences and enrolled myself for indoor fußball. I really like your style of informative story telling!
I feel you, Jen! I am from The Netherlands, same type of climate, and really.... The first months of the year are AWFULL. Feels like spring never comes.
The fact that we have studies about how long and which parts of your body exactly have to be in the sunshine, only to SURVIVE says a lot about the german winter :-D.
I am British expat living the last 40yrs in Germany, and the best thing you can do in winter, Is to go on holiday to a much warmer country. Like I do. And if possible for 3-4 months.
I remember visiting London for Xmas, and it would get dark about 4pm. It was very depressing ! I’m from Australia - winters don’t get too bad, no snow near my house. Thanks for the videos - i did a cycling tour in Germany in July, and loved to visit Düsseldorf - I rode from Hamburg to Frankfurt (8 days) I would love to come back to Germany !
I actually like winter. Snow is great (if you are note the one who has to shovel it)! The sound of walking through deep snow is so enjoyable and relaxing.
Yeah, but that's not what you're gonna get in Germany. You get grey and rainy, usually around the freezing point, but never the beautiful sunny coldass days with snow you would get in many parts of the US.
I’m brazilian, and my grandmother on my dad’s side is from Berlin. She is always complaining about a bunch of things about Brazil, but when I used to ask her if she wanted to move back (and I would go with her, I’m her only family in Brazil) the answer was always no because of the weather. She hates the cold and only travels to Germany in summer months 😅
Great video and great timing. As an mediterranean, i suffered last winter and now after the time change, i feel the winter depression has started kicking in. Last year my German friend gave me a "tageslichtlampe" as a gift. I was critical at first but it helped me a lot. Secondly, i think it is in the category of "be social" but i need to tell anyways, i observed that Germans love card games and board games. There were dozens of them i had not heard of. I think playing games help them cope with winter blues.
I went to college in Massachusetts (originally from the Caribbean) and I was SHOCKED my first winter to discover that you could look outside your dorm window and see bright sunshine and blue skies but FREEZE your tush off when you stepped outside! The clear days were the coldest!
Living in the South of Baveria we have more Sunny days! Sun and Snow is a beautifull Mixture 😍. As a young woman I lived for 2 years in NRW. The Winter was horrible ! Almost grey and dark and Fog, no Snow no light no sun. I hated it 😱🥶.
A thing I've started doing this winter is going for walks in the park during times that look like *the fucking night*, and it's actually very pleasant. You won't get vitamin D this way ofc, but that's not the only thing you're leaving the house for - movement and fresh air are very important as well. Going outside anyway has fixed many of the problems I had with winter time.
I grew up in NYC, but also lived upstate in places like Syracuse. I know exactly what you mean by the amazing deep blue sky and frigid temperatures. I loved those days! But upstate was always cloudy, gray, frigid, and snowy. Getting out for winter hiking, snowshoeing, and skiing definitely helps a lot. My fav winter spot is still Flagstaff Arizona. Lots of sunshine but very cold. Lots of snow (when there is not an epic 10-year drought), so snowshoeing and skiing in the mountains is great.
Blue skies during winter in the US varies by geographical location. Growing up in Massachusetts, most winter days were short and gloomy. In Maryland, winter days were cold but in general less cloudy (NYC is halfway between the two). Guate’s weather is fantastic. After 10 years in Guate it was just impossible for me to deal with the miserable northeastern winters again. ☀️
hi lady's! german expat here iving in sun valley idaho, winter is by far m favorit time of year bittercold but bluebird snny day's almost every day only imterrupted by big snowstorm so i can ski every day! big mountain state here!
Hola !! I love winter !!!! You don't have to go out cause it's nice and sunny !!! you can start " movie night " in the afternoon !!!! no annoying mosquitos disturbing my sleep !!! no annoying flies ( moscas en la casa ) ;-) and all the delicious Winter vegetables ...... !!!!!!! I can't imagine living in a country having the same weather ( more or less ) all day , sunset or sunrise about the same time , isn't that boring ?! ... but April or May I'm looking forward for a warm and sunny day in a beergarden :-) Hasta la vista !
Yep, winter in NYC looks mostly like you described, Yvonne. Even when it's cold, the sun is out and the air is crisp. BTW, I find your videos so helpful! I will be moving back to Germany in 2025 after having lived in the US since 1999. A lot has changed it seems, and in addition, I will be coming with my American husband, so I am looking for a lot of infos...Keep up your videos, please!
I have worked and lived for 6 and a half years in Gdansk, Poland. Around the 21st of December it would be dark at 15:15 hrs. Also, it would be overcast and dark for close to 6 months. Now the funny thing, as soon as it is 19 degrees and sunny, the Polish would go en masse to the beach, as you'll never know if you get those days again. On the other hand I've also experienced 30 degrees in summer. and -23 in winter.
@@simplegermany right, but I don't this much light in summer!) And in between of these "polar nights" I suffer from a fomo syndrome during the "polar day" 🤷🏻♀️ (feeling that I'd better be catching the moment walking every evening until midnight or all night long 😅)
I also love the Sauna. We (I and a good female friend of mine) try to go every two weeks if possible. This is how I can keep a good mindset during the wintertime. But we go nearly the hole year (Till the temperature reaches 30 degrees celsius, this is the time when we pause our "sauna-habit") ;)
It's dark as if it's a rainy day, but it's not raining and it's cold. That are the most "depressing" days and that could be so for weeks. ... Until the weather changes and it's snowing or it's sunny. Rinse and repeat ;-)
Ich weiß das Video ist schon 1 Jahr aber Tipps habeich dennoch. In der kalten Jahreszeit vertreibe ich mir oft die Zeit mit Handarbeiten oder Basteln für Weihnachten ( kann bei übereifrigen Menschen zu Weihnachtsstress führen). Aber bis Weihnachten ist mir nie langweilig. Im neuen Jahr suche ich mir ein Projekt das 3 bis 4 Monate dauert Patchworkdecke z.B. neues Kostüm zu Karneval 🎊. VHS Kurs im Bereich, Kunst, kochen usw..
Greetings from sunny Konstanz. And if it is not sunny, 1h drive an you are above the clouds...or 2,5h drive we are in sunny Italy... And don't forget the Weihnachtsmarkt or Aprés Ski although if you not skiing 🙂. Hilarious: selfmade Gingerbreadhouses. And (!) invite friends for play games, cooking together. My personal highlight: Walking on the empty island of Mainau. Same: Museums, Theaters, Bars all empty. No tourists, no nobody. The city is ours! Jen, try this: outdoor cheese fondue. WONDERFUL!
Ooooh all of your suggestions sound great! I have not been to the island of Mainau (will add it to my list of places I want to visit 🙂). Wow, outdoor cheese fondue sounds delicious! - J
I live in Denver, its winter is so warm and skies are always blue, the annual sunshine is 3100hrs and you can count the amount of gloomy day in fact! Im moving to Germany soon, and kinda nervous 😬😬
Tageslichtlampes, vitamin D, and omega 3 will be my best friends through the time change, I expect. My cousins in Europe all miss the sun so much; the pandemic was torture for them, because they were used to coming back to Honduras every summer. I've always hated summer and beaches, but I suspect I will now join the ranks of people seeking the sun like crazy. xD
@@simplegermany I agree! Do you know a good place in Berlin (or near enough) to get a Sun Lamp? I hear they can help in winter months and I'll need it. :)
New York is on the same latitude as Madrid, so it gets the same, rather mild seasonal variations of the duration of the day. It is only that much colder, because europe is much warmer than it should be, because of the gulf stream and north america can get much colder than it should get, because how the mountains and the landscape and all that are laid out makes it possible, that arctic winds can make it really far to the south, to a degree, that just doesn't happen in europe.
10:00 Lecker Freßmeile :) Muss wirklich mal wieder nach Düsseldorf, war zu lange nimmer da. Lecker Uerige im Frühling, bissi am Rhein spazieren....hach ja, hätte nicht umziehen sollen.
Hi! The thought crossed my mine when you mentioned going back to Guata, how you are treated as a couple? Obviously if that is too personal, forget the question!. As always I loved the video!!!!!
I grew up in New York (Long Island). I haven't been back since 91. Winters have changed. We would get snow, would be able to sled and it was cold from November till early April. From my NY friends, there is not as much snow and the seasons have changed. Not much Spring, then onto Summer. Some Fall. Thank you Global warming. And yes, there are Sunny Days in NY in winter!
What can I say? I honestly feel the sun will be a thing when I move to Germany, I’m from Dominican Republic and we only do summer and hell 😂 I’ve been to snowy places but my relationship to snow is like the guy from the video named “ un argentino en Toronto” 😂
@@simplegermany have you guys tried the red light lamps for vitamin redemption? That could work for the low sun light days My friends in Canadá do that so they don’t get vitamin D deficiency
Have you noticed weather patterns have changed,with climate change in Germany? Here,it has become A Warm spring type weather for several months. The only good,we’ve seem to have lost the really really hit days. I live in the Napa Valley,I know they’ve changed the variety of grapes,to handle this New weather pattern.
Yes, like in most places, it’s gotten warmer and more extreme for short periods of time. Like record heat or record rain that causes flooding. So a bit different to Napa. But very interesting that they started changing the grape time, makes sense though 😊
I'm from Ukraine and when its crisp cold (-5 and lower) Especially when it's -15 to -20 Clean blue sky and sun is pretty often combo (with plenty of snow) I have my sunglasses all year around 🤣
Some people improve their mood and also sleep patterns by, after getting up, looking onto a large, high intensity, white light of a noon sun spectrum for some amount of time. (called light therapy, not to be confused with similarly called things that are more of the "voodoo" kind - this is real)
I love January, finally an excuse for Board games! 😂 With friends or meet-up groups! Or video games! Mysteries, adventure...Have you heard of Broken Sword video game: a defective mystery game? It's even better to play with friends and to try to figure out either a thief of an expensive painting or a kidnapper of a wealthy person...And what about indoor sports? "Mini" soccer, handball (obviously tennis) ?! 🤗
You guys just don't help people settle in germany more smoothly but the Guatemala too we have so much information about Guatemala too 😀 I am afraid may be german government makes a rule if u want to settle in germany than u should go to Guatemala first 😀 God bless you Schwestern keep growing 👍
Growing up in South Germany I can survive winter in Berlin only with minimum 2 short trips to Spain a month, sometimes even a day trip. Luckily there are still pretty cheap options here in Berlin.
Thanks so much! My wife and I are from Brazil and this is our first winter in Germany. We're kind of worried about it and your videos help us so much! Do you have any tips on skincare for the winter?
At temperatures below 0 degrees Moisturize you skin (especially face and hands) when you will stay inside for a while not shortly before you go outside.
Vitamin D is odd… I have a deficiency since 20 years and over those 20 years I’ve lived in the Middle East and North Africa with plenty plenty of sunlight
We have classical physical heater units, which we can turn on manually. The central heating unit of the house is in the basement and gets managed by the landlord.
My question, I'm an American from Texas i'm used to the warm weather and lived 10 years in UAE (Summer all year long) how do i deal? I'm so scared it's keeping me from being with my husband!! Please advise me
Don’t be scared, watch the video I’m full and take the advice from other Germans in the comments. Also watch our video on what to wear in winter and you will be fine 🤗
Now I feel even better about choosing Germany. It's all so similar to how I've grown up experiencing winters in my home country. I can even go as far as honestly admitting that if I am to make an overview description of Bulgarian winters I'd just have to repeat everything Yvonne says and I would be perfectly correct! So we really thrive for sunny time in December through February and I actually have a few friends who literally stay in the sunlight like carried away, just like Yvonne showed. But what I also grew up with was my mom always giving me strict caution not to be fooled by seeing sun through the window, it doesn't mean that it's really warm, not even close to warm. Meaning that a sunny winter day is really just for the sake of getting Vitamin D and that important frische Luft. 😄 Thanks for this great content, and I'll be looking forward to you guys also talking in more dept of German summers. (That one is really tough over here. I would strongly advise you AGAINST visiting Bulgaria in late July or August. That's what I'll do everything to my ability to run from! 😂)
Don't forget to ask your doctor or your apothecary for vitamin D! No sunlight, no vitamin-D-production in the body. A lac of vitamin D causes depression.
1. drink enough water 2. dry eyes are often a sign of fatiuge. If you are working at a computer it is likely you do not blink as often and stare at the same distance the whole day. There is a 20/20/20 rule for that every 20 minutes look 20 feet (6 meter) into the distance for at least 20 seconds. Looking into the distance is what relaxes the eyes. Looking onto the screen is constant work. Try to remember to blink as often and while doing so close the lid properly, not only a little. There are sprays for onto the closed lid to moisterise. Eye drops are not recommended to use constantly as it will result in the eye dryingout eaven more (Im a optrition, by the way) 3. air out the room regularly
You are comparing the lowest sun time in guatemala with the lowest in germany ("ouch!"). Ok, ok, you are talking about winter in this video. But you should also compare the maximum sun times of both countries. Have a guess which country will win in that case! 😇 Another one: you guys are livin in Düsseldorf and you don't like february? Alaaf! Oh, wait, Düsseldorf: Helau!
Your shirts are irritating... 😀 BTW: Less daylight really affects us because by getting less daylight, you are missing vitamin D. This can lead to depression to some people (who are prone to it or not used to it!). I say this from personal experience, I struggled with this for years and I am still very much affected by fall and winter. This can be counteracted a little, by everything that lifts the mood (or just take vitamin D).
Which all the places that makes or feel them happy and how to live happily in Germany, please let me knows it all madam and I am kindly waiting for ur reply madam
![What to WEAR for German winters [so you don't FREEZE] 🥶](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/HcHZFqVgZjM/mqdefault.jpg)
![What to WEAR for German winters [so you don't FREEZE] 🥶](/img/tr.png)
![How to MAKE FRIENDS in Germany - [TIPS & Cultural Background]](/img/n.gif)
- So, for me it's tons of candles, too. There can never be enough. A fire place would be even cooler, if I had one.
- And insence sticks burning (woodsy scents, cinnamon, pine, cedar...).
- Strung up fairy lights (not just for X-Mas, but in generaal).
- Solar lamps that flicker like real fire torches for the balcony. Looks so rustic and cosy!
- Walks in the forest with a thermos bottle full of hot chocolate (can be laced with a shot of rum ;-) ). And warm gloves and scarves. Woolen socks!
- Hot bubble baths after a cold day outdoors, and staying in the tub for an hour just relaxing and maybe reading a book.
- Feeding birds and squirrels on my balcony, which are a JOY every day to watch! So cute, you just can't be in a gloomy mood when you see them.
- Or also taking bird seeds and nuts to the woods for the animals in the wild, just because it makes me happy to know they won't go hungry in winter.
- Snuggling up with a hot water bottle (I'm always surprised how many people from other countries don't even know what that is - it's the BEST invention for cold feet, cold thighs, or just in general to cuddle something warm).
- Supplementing with 4000 I.U. vitamin D each day (in summer I take only 2000 I.U. a day). By the way, it should be taken with vitamin K. It works wonders for my general depression, and makes the "winter blues" on top of that more bearable.
- The rare occasions we get snow here, I'll be out there! Taking lots of photos, which is a passion of mine. Also, nothing is more magical than a night walk through a snowy forest or park on a moonlit night!
- Baking some comfort food, like cinnamon flavored muffins with apples or chocolate in them.
- I do like the colorful X-Mas time, but to be honest, come January I'm glad the hustle and bustle is over, and I'm happy to redecorate with more subdued colors and more white, to really embrace the "barren" part of winter. Instead of it feeling boring to me, it's like a detox and coming down from the sensory overload of the X-Mas time. It's nature's time for hibernation, and we, too, can benefit from taking some time to consciously relax more.
- Sauna I theoretically LOVE. But for me it's too expensive, and now with the pandemic, I wouldn't want to hang out so close to people in a small room and potentially getting infected. I miss it, though!
- For the very crazy ones: ice swimming! I always wanted to try it, but in recent years our lakes don't freeze anymore. Look for Jonna Jinton's channel. She's from Sweden and shows her beautiful life in the even colder winters up there, and she loves ice swimming.
- Coffee and gingerbread for breakfast.
- Faux-Fur bed linens/sheets! Sooo warm, fuzzy, cosy and fun! Makes me feel like I'm sleeping in a medieval castle in soft wolf fur, only without harming an animal.
- Roast your own almonds and caramelize them, X-Mas Market style, maybe even adding gingerbread spice or just cinnamon. Snack them on a movie night at home.
...there are a thousand little things, that can make winter enjoyable, and usually I save (most) of these things for winter to make them feel special and like a more rare treat. In general, though, summer is my favorite season, too. And I do love the colorful autumn, which seems to be especially vibrant this year. 🙂
WOW! Thank you so much for all your great ideas! We literally just pictures them all and they created a very romantic, cozy, and looking forward winter feeling!! We also LOVE fireplaces, but unfortunately don’t have one…not a balcony 🙈. Jen loves the comfort food idea 😅.
Thank you for such an informative comment. Saving it as a reference to get ready for my first winter in Germany ☺️
+1 for the rare occurence of someone making an adequate vitamin-d +k recommendation. The doctors here are 10+ years behind the research and the general recommendations here are guaranteed to "not work", basically.
Great ideas. Just adding 2 or 3 things …
Before you get a supplement check your blood and get informed very well. Magnesium and Calcium also take a big role in this. For me it also does wonders in my general mood.
Actually Christmas or the celebration in former times on solstice is for the sun to come back! The days are getting longer from that on an we have some really cool rituals around that (Rauhnächte for example).
And during Jan & Feb you can always have Vorfreude for Fastnacht/Karneval - at least I do. Comming from the south we have more of a whitches, forest elves and trolls thing going on with scary traditional masks and Schabernack.
Wow thanks i'm going on Amazon now to look for these things
Hello.... I know, everybody's gonna hate me, but I enjoy Oktober - April😊
Each year I live in fear of hot summertimes where I just can't go out because it is way tooooo hot.
In wintertime I can go out, use the right clothes, inside it is "gemütlich"....
This is going to my 3rd winter experience in Germany. Watching the video made me realize how moody things can get, especially in Jan & Feb as Jen mentioned. Well, I have learned from my previous experiences and enrolled myself for indoor fußball. I really like your style of informative story telling!
Oh that is great! We used to play indoor football too! Definitely a cool way to stay busy and fit during winter 🥳
A lot of house plants also improves the room atmosphere in winter.
I feel you, Jen! I am from The Netherlands, same type of climate, and really.... The first months of the year are AWFULL. Feels like spring never comes.
Jen, I feel you. As a German I have the same feeling! „ oh no winter.. do I have to...really😳🥴? It does not come easy like adjusting to summer does!
The fact that we have studies about how long and which parts of your body exactly have to be in the sunshine, only to SURVIVE says a lot about the german winter :-D.
This is going to be my first winter in Germany and as someone from a tropical country, gotta be prepared! 😅
You girls are awesome! My brazilian self is so not ready for my first winter here, I really appreciate all the tips :)
Soon moving in from Greece and I'm thinking the same 😅
Even when it's dark outside, go for a walk anyway.
Absolutely there is sun in NY in winter. Crisp freezing cold but blue skies and bright sun!!!
I am British expat living the last 40yrs in Germany, and the best thing you can do in winter, Is to go on holiday to a much warmer country. Like I do. And if possible for 3-4 months.
Not to judge or anything but do you still consider yourself english 😂 after 40 years. Love and health 😂😂
Yes 100%@@shyakaprince7603
Not to be pedantic, but if you've lived in Germany for 40 years, you are an immigrant 🤷♀️
I remember visiting London for Xmas, and it would get dark about 4pm. It was very depressing ! I’m from Australia - winters don’t get too bad, no snow near my house.
Thanks for the videos - i did a cycling tour in Germany in July, and loved to visit Düsseldorf - I rode from Hamburg to Frankfurt (8 days)
I would love to come back to Germany !
In the middle of februar you can see daylight comics back again as days start getting longer. Love this.
You two always brighten my Mondays! I can say in Southern Ohio, USA it’s grey here all winter! Sounds like Deutschland.
Winter depression is a real thing. I go back to my country for a month every year to reduce it 😀
I actually like winter. Snow is great (if you are note the one who has to shovel it)! The sound of walking through deep snow is so enjoyable and relaxing.
Yeah, but that's not what you're gonna get in Germany. You get grey and rainy, usually around the freezing point, but never the beautiful sunny coldass days with snow you would get in many parts of the US.
I’m brazilian, and my grandmother on my dad’s side is from Berlin. She is always complaining about a bunch of things about Brazil, but when I used to ask her if she wanted to move back (and I would go with her, I’m her only family in Brazil) the answer was always no because of the weather. She hates the cold and only travels to Germany in summer months 😅
Great video and great timing. As an mediterranean, i suffered last winter and now after the time change, i feel the winter depression has started kicking in. Last year my German friend gave me a "tageslichtlampe" as a gift. I was critical at first but it helped me a lot.
Secondly, i think it is in the category of "be social" but i need to tell anyways, i observed that Germans love card games and board games. There were dozens of them i had not heard of. I think playing games help them cope with winter blues.
Thanks for your comment! Didn’t know about the lamp. And yea, great observation about the card and board games. One of my favs is Dominion 😀. -J
I went to college in Massachusetts (originally from the Caribbean) and I was SHOCKED my first winter to discover that you could look outside your dorm window and see bright sunshine and blue skies but FREEZE your tush off when you stepped outside! The clear days were the coldest!
Living in the South of Baveria we have more Sunny days! Sun and Snow is a beautifull Mixture 😍.
As a young woman I lived for 2 years in NRW. The Winter was horrible ! Almost grey and dark and Fog, no Snow no light no sun. I hated it 😱🥶.
😅 where in the South of Bavaria do you live?
Ich lebe im schönen Allgäu 🤩
A thing I've started doing this winter is going for walks in the park during times that look like *the fucking night*, and it's actually very pleasant. You won't get vitamin D this way ofc, but that's not the only thing you're leaving the house for - movement and fresh air are very important as well. Going outside anyway has fixed many of the problems I had with winter time.
I grew up in NYC, but also lived upstate in places like Syracuse. I know exactly what you mean by the amazing deep blue sky and frigid temperatures. I loved those days! But upstate was always cloudy, gray, frigid, and snowy. Getting out for winter hiking, snowshoeing, and skiing definitely helps a lot. My fav winter spot is still Flagstaff Arizona. Lots of sunshine but very cold. Lots of snow (when there is not an epic 10-year drought), so snowshoeing and skiing in the mountains is great.
Thanks for sharing! We visited Flagstaff in summer a few years ago and really liked it 🙂
Blue skies during winter in the US varies by geographical location. Growing up in Massachusetts, most winter days were short and gloomy. In Maryland, winter days were cold but in general less cloudy (NYC is halfway between the two).
Guate’s weather is fantastic. After 10 years in Guate it was just impossible for me to deal with the miserable northeastern winters again. ☀️
When I lived in Chicago I had a vitamin D deficiency and told it was common there. Now I live in Nashville which has much more sunshine and less cold.
hi lady's! german expat here iving in sun valley idaho, winter is by far m favorit time of year bittercold but bluebird snny day's almost every day only imterrupted by big snowstorm so i can ski every day! big mountain state here!
That sounds pretty nice! 🙂 I love it when there is snow and it’s blue skies. I don’t like the schneeschippen, though 😂
love it when you guys say “Smooothly” . I do sync with your singing 😉 😆
Hola !! I love winter !!!! You don't have to go out cause it's nice and sunny !!! you can start " movie night " in the afternoon !!!! no annoying mosquitos disturbing my sleep !!! no annoying flies ( moscas en la casa ) ;-) and all the delicious Winter vegetables ...... !!!!!!! I can't imagine living in a country having the same weather ( more or less ) all day , sunset or sunrise about the same time , isn't that boring ?! ... but April or May I'm looking forward for a warm and sunny day in a beergarden :-)
Hasta la vista !
Yep, winter in NYC looks mostly like you described, Yvonne. Even when it's cold, the sun is out and the air is crisp. BTW, I find your videos so helpful! I will be moving back to Germany in 2025 after having lived in the US since 1999. A lot has changed it seems, and in addition, I will be coming with my American husband, so I am looking for a lot of infos...Keep up your videos, please!
I have worked and lived for 6 and a half years in Gdansk, Poland. Around the 21st of December it would be dark at 15:15 hrs. Also, it would be overcast and dark for close to 6 months. Now the funny thing, as soon as it is 19 degrees and sunny, the Polish would go en masse to the beach, as you'll never know if you get those days again. On the other hand I've also experienced 30 degrees in summer. and -23 in winter.
In January 2021 there was 1 hour sunshine in St Petersburg. It's for the whole month, not per day! That was my first winter there....
And I was totally killed in Stockholm in November when it began to get dark at 3 pm!! What's going on there in the end of December then?!
Wow! So little sunshine! The northern you go the less sun you have in winter. However, the more light you have in summer.
@@simplegermany right, but I don't this much light in summer!) And in between of these "polar nights" I suffer from a fomo syndrome during the "polar day" 🤷🏻♀️ (feeling that I'd better be catching the moment walking every evening until midnight or all night long 😅)
Nice 👍 information shared by both of you. I like the voice of Yvonne very much.
I have tried to support you now with a small gesture from my side.
Thanks a lot! We really appreciate your support 🤗
I also love the Sauna. We (I and a good female friend of mine) try to go every two weeks if possible. This is how I can keep a good mindset during the wintertime. But we go nearly the hole year (Till the temperature reaches 30 degrees celsius, this is the time when we pause our "sauna-habit") ;)
That was an interesting content for this episode ❤️
I live in one of the rainiest cities in the US and we still get 2000hrs of sunlight on avg per yr! Can’t imagine getting even less than that
It's dark as if it's a rainy day, but it's not raining and it's cold. That are the most "depressing" days and that could be so for weeks.
... Until the weather changes and it's snowing or it's sunny.
Rinse and repeat ;-)
Ich weiß das Video ist schon 1 Jahr aber Tipps habeich dennoch. In der kalten Jahreszeit vertreibe ich mir oft die Zeit mit Handarbeiten oder Basteln für Weihnachten ( kann bei übereifrigen Menschen zu Weihnachtsstress führen). Aber bis Weihnachten ist mir nie langweilig. Im neuen Jahr suche ich mir ein Projekt das 3 bis 4 Monate dauert Patchworkdecke z.B. neues Kostüm zu Karneval 🎊. VHS Kurs im Bereich, Kunst, kochen usw..
Greetings from sunny Konstanz. And if it is not sunny, 1h drive an you are above the clouds...or 2,5h drive we are in sunny Italy... And don't forget the Weihnachtsmarkt or Aprés Ski although if you not skiing 🙂. Hilarious: selfmade Gingerbreadhouses. And (!) invite friends for play games, cooking together. My personal highlight: Walking on the empty island of Mainau. Same: Museums, Theaters, Bars all empty. No tourists, no nobody. The city is ours! Jen, try this: outdoor cheese fondue. WONDERFUL!
Ooooh all of your suggestions sound great! I have not been to the island of Mainau (will add it to my list of places I want to visit 🙂). Wow, outdoor cheese fondue sounds delicious! - J
I live in Denver, its winter is so warm and skies are always blue, the annual sunshine is 3100hrs and you can count the amount of gloomy day in fact! Im moving to Germany soon, and kinda nervous 😬😬
This vid arrived at the perfect time 💖
Tageslichtlampes, vitamin D, and omega 3 will be my best friends through the time change, I expect. My cousins in Europe all miss the sun so much; the pandemic was torture for them, because they were used to coming back to Honduras every summer. I've always hated summer and beaches, but I suspect I will now join the ranks of people seeking the sun like crazy. xD
Winter in NYC is very very cold, but this is because there are normally not much cloud cover.
Yes, no clouds makes it colder but also so much more enjoyable 🤗
@@simplegermany I agree! Do you know a good place in Berlin (or near enough) to get a Sun Lamp? I hear they can help in winter months and I'll need it. :)
Hmmmm….sorry we don’t. Our first guess would be checking on Amazon 😬
@@nomirrors3552 every saturn, mediamarkt etc. should have them
@@karinland8533 Oh thank you!
New York is on the same latitude as Madrid, so it gets the same, rather mild seasonal variations of the duration of the day. It is only that much colder, because europe is much warmer than it should be, because of the gulf stream and north america can get much colder than it should get, because how the mountains and the landscape and all that are laid out makes it possible, that arctic winds can make it really far to the south, to a degree, that just doesn't happen in europe.
I'mma go ahead and ask for some backstory for that amazing thumbnail...
😅 it was during a snow shoe hike and I was tired 🤣
Never forget: we are compensated for short, dark winter days by days that are as long as 17 hours at the beginning of summer.......
Well, any degree younmove south, you get longer and longer days. NY is even as far south as Lisboa, so it gets much more daylight compared to Germany.
10:00 Lecker Freßmeile :) Muss wirklich mal wieder nach Düsseldorf, war zu lange nimmer da. Lecker Uerige im Frühling, bissi am Rhein spazieren....hach ja, hätte nicht umziehen sollen.
Wo wohnste denn jetzt? 😉
@@simplegermany Schon vor 20 Jahren der Liebe wegen nach Südhessen gezogen. Ist auch eine schöne Gegend, aber eben auch ganz Anders.
Hi! The thought crossed my mine when you mentioned going back to Guata, how you are treated as a couple? Obviously if that is too personal, forget the question!. As always I loved the video!!!!!
Hey Harry, with friends and family we are treated with lots of love 😉. On the streets we don't show PDA and never had any issue.
Love your videos!
From Thailand to Germany...I don't know how I survived here. But I always take 1 Vitamin D per 2 days and going for a walk in the morning still helps!
Can`t you do another channel where you show how i can go to Guatemala? I also want to have 5 hours sunshine. ;-)
🤣🤣🤣
Well, if serve of any consolation, I live in Spain and it's very sunny, but I have deficiency of vitamin D.
I have to supplement them once in a while.
Oh wow, that’s crazy :)
I grew up in New York (Long Island).
I haven't been back since 91. Winters
have changed. We would get snow, would be able to sled and it was cold from November till early April.
From my NY friends, there is not as much snow and the seasons have changed. Not much Spring, then onto Summer. Some Fall. Thank you
Global warming. And yes, there are Sunny Days in NY in winter!
Is it like the Winter in London? I lived in the UK for 15 months and now am going to move to Berlin this year. Thanks for the content! Always great!
Very important.
What can I say? I honestly feel the sun will be a thing when I move to Germany, I’m from Dominican Republic and we only do summer and hell 😂
I’ve been to snowy places but my relationship to snow is like the guy from the video named “ un argentino en Toronto” 😂
🤣 that video is amazing! Hopefully wherever you move to Germany won’t be as extreme as the case of the Argentinian in Toronto 😋
@@simplegermany have you guys tried the red light lamps for vitamin redemption? That could work for the low sun light days
My friends in Canadá do that so they don’t get vitamin D deficiency
Hi
love from Norway😄
Have you noticed weather patterns have changed,with climate change in Germany? Here,it has become A Warm spring type weather for several months. The only good,we’ve seem to have lost the really really hit days. I live in the Napa Valley,I know they’ve changed the variety of grapes,to handle this New weather pattern.
Yes, like in most places, it’s gotten warmer and more extreme for short periods of time. Like record heat or record rain that causes flooding. So a bit different to Napa. But very interesting that they started changing the grape time, makes sense though 😊
I'm from Ukraine and when its crisp cold (-5 and lower)
Especially when it's -15 to -20
Clean blue sky and sun is pretty often combo (with plenty of snow)
I have my sunglasses all year around 🤣
Go to Tenerife! That's what I did
Some people improve their mood and also sleep patterns by, after getting up, looking onto a large, high intensity, white light of a noon sun spectrum for some amount of time. (called light therapy, not to be confused with similarly called things that are more of the "voodoo" kind - this is real)
Can you please recommend some of your favorite tea blends? 😊 thank you fir great video
Fresh ginger with lemon, rooibos tea or green tea 😊
Damn where I live, Mendoza , has 3000 hours of sun per year
That’s amazing! ☀️
I live in Rio de Janeiro, 10 min walking distance from the beach, and had to take vitamin D supplements. 🙈
Hehe 😬
I love January, finally an excuse for Board games! 😂 With friends or meet-up groups! Or video games! Mysteries, adventure...Have you heard of Broken Sword video game: a defective mystery game? It's even better to play with friends and to try to figure out either a thief of an expensive painting or a kidnapper of a wealthy person...And what about indoor sports? "Mini" soccer, handball (obviously tennis) ?! 🤗
Thanks for sharing! Have not heard of Broken Sword. Sounds like fun 😊
Hi from Düsseldorf :)
👋
Please suggest some good blankets to survive winter
We get ours from IKEA ☺️
You guys just don't help people settle in germany more smoothly but the Guatemala too we have so much information about Guatemala too 😀 I am afraid may be german government makes a rule if u want to settle in germany than u should go to Guatemala first 😀 God bless you Schwestern keep growing 👍
😂😂
Jen might have SAD, Seasoned Affective Disorder. It happens a lot with those of us that are from hot climates.
Oh, I did not know such thing existed 🙈 -J
Do you have ice skating? I did that a lot in Chicago.
Yes, we do! There are ice skating rinks at certain Christmas Markets and we also have year round ice stadiums.
Growing up in South Germany I can survive winter in Berlin only with minimum 2 short trips to Spain a month, sometimes even a day trip. Luckily there are still pretty cheap options here in Berlin.
In which part of Germany is Yvonne from? I have come to Lubeck and Hamburg 2 times so far.
Yvonne is originally from Bonn 😇
Hallo Yvonne,wo hast du denn deinen schönen Pulli her? Liebe Grüße
Ich habe es in Mexico gekauft ☺️
@@simplegermany Oh! Hahaha,schade aber danke 😊👋
12:30 Sauerland! Mein Herz schlägt für das Sauerland, begrabt nicht einst am Lennestrand, wo die Misthaufen qualmen, da gibts keine Palmen.
😅
Thanks so much! My wife and I are from Brazil and this is our first winter in Germany. We're kind of worried about it and your videos help us so much!
Do you have any tips on skincare for the winter?
At temperatures below 0 degrees Moisturize you skin (especially face and hands) when you will stay inside for a while not shortly before you go outside.
@@karinland8533 thanks so much!
I am not German but I Love Sauna.
How do you warm up your home? Aside from the heater.
The heater 😅 - and good insulation during the construction.
Vitamin D is odd… I have a deficiency since 20 years and over those 20 years I’ve lived in the Middle East and North Africa with plenty plenty of sunlight
How do you manage the heater/hearting in your house?
We have classical physical heater units, which we can turn on manually. The central heating unit of the house is in the basement and gets managed by the landlord.
Get a daylight lamp and use it daily through the winter and take those Vitamin D supplements, a deficiency can wreak havoc on your body
Do you ladies take Vitamine D in winter?
Yes ☺️
My question, I'm an American from Texas i'm used to the warm weather and lived 10 years in UAE (Summer all year long) how do i deal? I'm so scared it's keeping me from being with my husband!! Please advise me
Don’t be scared, watch the video I’m full and take the advice from other Germans in the comments. Also watch our video on what to wear in winter and you will be fine 🤗
@@simplegermany i did i watched all the videos, you guys are amazing but i'm still scared about going into depression
I need sun to see shine in sky😭😭....day and night are dark with cloude and cold rain snow where is sun 😭😭
Me rewatching this in 2023 cause I forgot how depressing Winter can be
Now I feel even better about choosing Germany. It's all so similar to how I've grown up experiencing winters in my home country. I can even go as far as honestly admitting that if I am to make an overview description of Bulgarian winters I'd just have to repeat everything Yvonne says and I would be perfectly correct! So we really thrive for sunny time in December through February and I actually have a few friends who literally stay in the sunlight like carried away, just like Yvonne showed. But what I also grew up with was my mom always giving me strict caution not to be fooled by seeing sun through the window, it doesn't mean that it's really warm, not even close to warm. Meaning that a sunny winter day is really just for the sake of getting Vitamin D and that important frische Luft. 😄 Thanks for this great content, and I'll be looking forward to you guys also talking in more dept of German summers. (That one is really tough over here. I would strongly advise you AGAINST visiting Bulgaria in late July or August. That's what I'll do everything to my ability to run from! 😂)
Oh how interesting!! Then you are very equipped 😅. Summer can be hot but not to run away from 😇
@@simplegermany Exactly. Warm and also hot at moments in Germany, but not deadly! 😇
hi i love you
This is why Germans invented the Gemütlichkeit :-)
With this title someone might think Germany is based left of the North Pole 😆
😅
Probably feels like is for a lot of people 😬
Don't forget to ask your doctor or your apothecary for vitamin D! No sunlight, no vitamin-D-production in the body. A lac of vitamin D causes depression.
I'm German and in the Sauna haters faction 🙈
Only know very few people who like it...
Not for me either...
How to survive in German winter with dry eyes
1. drink enough water
2. dry eyes are often a sign of fatiuge. If you are working at a computer it is likely you do not blink as often and stare at the same distance the whole day. There is a 20/20/20 rule for that every 20 minutes look 20 feet (6 meter) into the distance for at least 20 seconds. Looking into the distance is what relaxes the eyes. Looking onto the screen is constant work. Try to remember to blink as often and while doing so close the lid properly, not only a little. There are sprays for onto the closed lid to moisterise. Eye drops are not recommended to use constantly as it will result in the eye dryingout eaven more (Im a optrition, by the way)
3. air out the room regularly
Amazing Karin! Thanks! You are always so insightful 🤗
@@simplegermany just happens to be my profession. That a every day topic to me. 😉
I‘m happy you like me when I give my Senf dazu😅
@@karinland8533 Many thanks Karin
You are comparing the lowest sun time in guatemala with the lowest in germany ("ouch!"). Ok, ok, you are talking about winter in this video. But you should also compare the maximum sun times of both countries. Have a guess which country will win in that case! 😇
Another one: you guys are livin in Düsseldorf and you don't like february? Alaaf! Oh, wait, Düsseldorf: Helau!
As you said the video is about winter 😉
Your shirts are irritating... 😀
BTW: Less daylight really affects us because by getting less daylight, you are missing vitamin D. This can lead to depression to some people (who are prone to it or not used to it!). I say this from personal experience, I struggled with this for years and I am still very much affected by fall and winter. This can be counteracted a little, by everything that lifts the mood (or just take vitamin D).
Watch movies, read books and go to the Gyme ….
Or play some games... 🙂
I hoping for ur reply madam.,,
Which all the places that makes or feel them happy and how to live happily in Germany, please let me knows it all madam and I am kindly waiting for ur reply madam
Get a daylight lamp and use it daily through the winter and take those Vitamin D supplements, a deficiency can wreak havoc on your body.