Winter here seems to be misunderstood. People say it’s so quiet that to live here you have to like peace or else you can feel completely isolated. From what I’ve experienced, the winters have quiet moments, but there’s a lot going on too.

Adults go to work, kids go to school. We’re still living life as people do anywhere, shopping for groceries, walking the dog, going to the movies, playing sports. There’s a quietness that pervades the landscape though – this must be why so many people identify with the Island in that way.

I haven’t felt the dead of winter that plagues some of my friends. Frankly, since I moved here two years ago, the winters have been pretty busy, starting a new job, then renovating a house. But as I get more settled here, I suspect I will.

I often hear that the best way to make it through the winter is to have things to look forward to. Some of the stories in the magazine may inspire you to make a standing appointment, perhaps to play poker (page 12) or join an off-road bike ride (page 58). I’ve found that Friday afternoons are best spent at Offshore Ale in Oak Bluffs. My husband worked nearby for our first winter, and he and his office mates became regulars. I was happy to tag along. The cheap eats and the drinks draw a big crowd, and it’s a festive atmosphere. We always see people we know, and now some of those people have become friends we count on seeing there every week.

When I moved here in the fall, I got two reactions from people about the time of year: Some expressed sadness that I missed the summer season, the best time of year. Others said I was lucky to arrive at a time I could get to know the bare bones of the Island and the residents when they aren’t busy and rushed, but rather relaxed and more themselves.