When I first moved to England one of the first things I noticed about shops around me (and the one I worked in) is that they all had their doors propped open. Now, this didn’t strike me as odd at first because the weather was nice even though it was the beginning of October. I thought maybe they were all hanging on to the last dregs of summer. But as the months went on and the temperature steadily dropped and the nice weather turned to rain, which turned to snow, the doors remained open. Everywhere.

In England you might as well consider business hours over if you plan on closing your door. Of course, at first, I thought this was ridiculous. I mean, surely if it’s 2 degrees outside but 2 o’clock in the afternoon, one could assume that a shop’s door is shut because they are cold not because they are closed. But no, doors remain open. Most shops have heaters mounted above the doors to blast shoppers with a shot of hot air when they enter the room, but once through the doorway that no longer protects them from the chill of the winter wind blowing through the open door.

When I worked at the bakery we were provided with the option of sweatshirt uniform tops instead of the t-shirt ones we usually wore. At least there was some forethought there. Now that I don’t get provided with a uniform, things have changed.

At the card shop we have a small space heater on the floor behind the till to help keep my ankles toasty. And at Futon Company there are those infamous above-the-door heaters for customers. At both of my jobs I am expected to “dress smart,” which usually ends in me wearing a skirt or dress and tights. In other words, I’m cold.

People think because I’m Canadian I shouldn’t get cold. To a degree that assumption is correct, but when it’s below zero and you’ve got me standing in front of an open door wearing a skirt, I’m going to get cold. The only reason Canadians can handle Canadian temperatures is because we dress appropriately. We understand and respect the weather. When the weather says, “Hey look, I’m gonna get really cold for a while. I’m thinking minus 18 and snow drifts.” We say, “Sure thing. No problem. I’ve been looking for a reason to wear my faux-fur lined boots anyway.” Canadians and the weather, we’re like this (I’m crossing my fingers to denote a close bond)! When weather throws us a blizzard and a power outage we throw on a hooded parka and thermal underwear.

Because of the relationship we have forged with the weather we understand that sometimes we just have to let it do its thing. And when that time comes we pack up our street-side markets and vegetable stands and move business indoors for a few months, with the door closed!

Having lived in England for over a year now I can say that, while I don’t necessarily agree with the open door all year idea, I understand it more. It has become so expected that if a shop’s door is shut you definitely think it’s closed. Even I do; I guess I’ve officially been here long enough. How will I ever shop once I’m back in Canada? Will everything seem perpetually closed to me? I guess I’ll find out in 8 months.