No time to prepare yourself – winter is here. To celebrate, here are 10 wintery fun facts. Enjoy!
• The largest snowflake on record is recorded in the Guinness Book of Records. Dimensions were 38 cm wide and 20 cm thick. It fell in Montana, USA on 28 January 1887.

• The menthol in mints and gum are made up of proteins that mimic the effects of cold temperatures on our nervous system.

• One study found that if cold sufferers feel that their doctor truly empathises towards their common cold, the illness is reduced by a full day.

• Empathy is strong all round – wintery weather unites communities and inspires empathy.

• The phrase “cool as a cucumber” reflects the fact that at room temperature, the inside of a cucumber can be up to 20 degrees cooler than the outside air.

• Human fingernails grow faster in cold weather.

• The biggest hail stones ever recorded fell in 1986 in Bangladesh. Each stone weighed in at over 1kg each. The incident killed 92 people.

• Our heads appear to get colder than the rest of our body because the concentration of nerve cells in our head and neck means these regions are five times as sensitive to changes in temperature.

• In lab tests, only one in 13 people without colds became infected through kissing. You’re more likely to catch the bug by cuddling with your cold-suffering beloved, as several hours’ contact with an infected person is required to become contaminated.

• A study conducted by Cornell University proved that a cup of hot chocolate contains more antioxidants than wine and tea. This means a cup of hot chocolate effectively reduces the risk of heart disease.

Hugs from the girl snuggled up in woollens,
Akika xx
Photo courtesy of Jordan Shields