I don’t remember ever saying it’s too cold to go outside and play. That is, when I was a kid. Maybe that’s because we prepared for the cold by bundling up in layers of warm clothes. We even placed empty bread bags over our socks before slipping into our snow boots. This provided extra insulation and kept our feet dry in the event of leaky boots.

Every year we had to trade up or down with siblings to ensure we had boots that fit. Sometimes that simply meant wearing several pairs of socks in the event the boots were too big. We knew how to make it work and allow us to spend hours building snow forts in sub-freezing conditions.

One perk we had was the fact that we had an aunt whose talents with a crochet hook gave us an abundance of warm, woolen mittens. She must have produced dozens of those hand warmers, scarves and hats for all of her 12 nieces and nephews. Once you had a pair of mittens on your hands, there was no debating which were warmer — gloves or mittens. Hands down, mittens won.

Even in high school, I treasured having a pair of those mittens tucked into my coat pocket. They came in handy while waiting for the bus on chilly mornings. I never thought of mittens as being just for babies as some would tease.

As a teen, I often balked at wearing a matching toboggan. It just didn’t suit the hairstyles of the times. Even so, I knew at least my hands would be warm regardless of the weather.

However, now I can’t comprehend what I saw the other night while watching a football game on TV.

There in the stands were grown young men attending the outdoor game. The temperature at the time was 9 degrees. Yet these two fans were not wearing shirts, let alone coats, hats, gloves or mittens.

The mother in me was screaming inside for someone to bring some common sense to those two men. I can only imagine what their own mothers were thinking.

I realize fandom is a real thing. Being a diehard fan should not mean putting yourself in peril to prove a point. I guess they were taking their right to free expression to the max. Even so, I was shivering just looking at them. I hope their team won. If not, I can’t imagine a colder exit from the game.

As I finish this column, the temperature in the Ohio Valley has and will continue to fluctuate up and down. In a matter of days, I went from wearing a raincoat to bundling in layers. Be assured there was a pair of mittens waiting in the wings. Aunt Louise would be proud.

Have a happy and warm New Year!

Heather Ziegler can be reached via email at hziegler@theintelligencer.net.