It’s so much better than a cold one.
Germans tend to not want to turn on the heating. It’s almost a competition at times. Who’ll be the last to finally give in? Of course, leaving the heater off saves money. But what good is money when you have pneumonia? Or when you’re not enjoying sitting on your couch? It’s an old habit back from when heating cost a lot and, in poorly isolated farmhouses, was a life-or-death matter. Today, I venture it is self-torture disguised as frugality in most cases.
But not us! My family, and thankfully also my fiancée, all like it cozy. A warm house is one in which you can move freely. A warm house feels relaxing, comfortable, and safe. It also makes the people living in it more gracious. A little less prone to being on edge and lashing out. After all, who’s feeling generous when they’re cold?
For the first two years of living in our apartment, my partner and I had to make additional heating payments. I suspect it will be the same in year three—and once again entirely worth it. Still, one point I’ll give to my shiverous countrymen and -women: Nothing makes you appreciate your heating more than returning home after a week away, turning it back on, and waiting for it to kick in. For us it takes about 24 hours until the apartment is back to normal, and that’s a real chance for a gratitude check-in.
Here’s to warm houses—and to letting them go cold once in a while so we can remember how precious they actually are.
