Would you jump in a Frozen Lake? I did. Twice.

‘Twas the day after Christmas, when all through the house, not a creature was stirring...because they were all in a food coma.

I was in Canada visiting my boyfriend’s family for the holidays. My first White Christmas. They live in a tiny border town in Ontario called Sault St Marie or “The Soo” as locals call it. It was nonstop eating with aunts, uncles and 1st, 2nd and any type of cousin you could imagine.

The glue of the family is a sweetheart named Sammi, my boyfriend Miguel’s cousin. She recommended we take a break and head out to “camp” to hot tub (because it’s one of a bazillion things Canadians like to do in the winter next to jumping off rooftops into snow). Camp was actually gorgeous lake-front cabin on St Joseph island on Great Lake Huron.

It was Miguel, Sammi, her boyfriend Matt, her brother Ryan and myself.

When we arrived, they walked right out on to the frozen lake and this Cali girl slowly trailed them. In the distance, a large cargo boat passed by and I heard the ice under my boots begin to crack and my jaw dropped. They laughed and said not to worry, that the ice was too frozen to crack this close to shore. It was -3°.

Ryan picked up a metal rod and proceeded to ferociously puncture a hole in the ice about 50ft from shore. They said maybe they’d go for a swim later.

At that point...I THOUGHT THEY WERE KIDDING.

We went back to camp, changed into our bathing suits and hopped in the bathtub with our spiced rum & cokes. About 10 seconds into it they discuss... THE POLAR BEAR SWIM.

“Polar Bear Swim” as my crazy Canadians call it, is a bizarre pastime of going back and forth from hot tub to frozen lake in the dead of winter.

I quickly learned they weren’t kidding.

They boys played rock, paper, scissors to determine the walk down the plank. It was Matt, followed by Ryan then Miguel. Sammi and I recorded their plunge from the safety of the hot tub.

“YOUR TURN!” they said.

I’m adventurous but I LOATHE cold weather. So I said, “pass.”

But my boyfriend knows my FOMO too well.

“Don’t you want to look back in 20 years and remember this crazy shit you did that no sane person would do?”

I smirked, splashed him with water, took a swig of my spiced rum & coke and looked at Sammi who was ready to go!

We trecked thru the snow BAREFOOT, across 50ft of frozen lake to this polar bear hole. Ryan came with us to make sure we didn’t get sucked into the hole.

Sammi dipped in first then ran back to the hot tub. I sat on the edge of the hole for a sec, looking into the freezing disturbed water, held my breathe then dunked my body in.

It felt like a quick cold electric shock combined with 10 espresso shots. It was SO invigorating!

I immediately pushed myself out of the water and attempted to run to the safety of the hot tub but my legs were in protest. As if they were weighed down by froze layers and I was now one with the lake. Ryan grabbed my hand and helped me shuffle to the hot tub.

I thought “YAY! I did it!” oh, but they weren’t finished. The boys each went again and stayed in the water for 10 seconds! Sammi and I were in our robes and slippers recording the shenanigans. Then Miguel said he wanted a video of the both us going in together. Pure evil playing the romance card. That’s the video you see here - Sammi’s masterpiece that blows Cloverfield out of the water.

Well, when in Canada, do as the crazy Canadians would do.