Keeping all body parts warm

I’ve always been one of those people who hate winter. I mean, I don’t hate it completely, I do enjoy the scenery up in the Laurentians after it’s just snowed, and I like to ski on occasion. Oh, and I love going to the spa in the winter. But for all intents and purposes, I hate the cold.

As soon as it gets below freezing, my skin gets dry, my nose is runny, and I can’t ever feel comfortable outside. So I thought that it was high time I remedied the situation. I started with buying myself a hat. For the first time in my adult life, I have a knitted hat that looks good and that keeps my ears and head warm. When I bought it, I was transported back to my childhood, when my mother decided it was a good idea to heed my demands when I said I wanted a fuschia tuque with “Julie” written across the forehead in gold-lettering. Yup. Luckily, that hat was given a new home when I hit puberty. It’s probably keeping another Julie’s ears very warm as we speak.

Okay, so I have a hat, I have these fantastic beaver fur mitts, all I need now is a good winter jacket. So yesterday, Erin and I set off on a quest to find a ¾ length jacket, fitted, in down, with a fur collar lining (preferably real). First stop: Kanuk.

Are they for real? No really, are they for real? We walk in and are cordially greeted by a security guard. Alright, so they’re scared of thieves. Then we walk across the store, looking at rows and rows of coats, all different colours and sizes. And none of these are below 695$. SIX HUNDRED AND NINETY FIVE DOLLARS!!!! And if you want to add a fur collar, like me, well, those start at 295$. Yes, that means, I’m looking at 990$ for a winter jacket. No, let me rephrase that, that means I’m paying over 1000$ for a jacket that has a stupid owl logo on it and that is worn mostly by old business men and super outdoorsy types. That doesn’t fit my profile. Okay Erin, next.

After another store where the coats are super bulky and the salesperson is overbearing, we decide that we’ve had enough and head off to the museum for some culture. After all, it’s free.

After seriously asking myself if I should buy less RRSPs this year and get myself a Kanuk instead, I had the idea to check on ebay. And what a terrific idea that was. I finally found my fantastic winter jacket. And I am currently the high bidder with 80$. The collar rim is real fur (although from what animal, the seller did not specify). Wish me luck on winning it…