Astronomy aside, I don’t think that I would have survived very long in a Siberian work camp. Snow and the dark sky has its charm, but it also has a way of letting you know that all hope is lost for months, which may, for some, be an excuse for a speedy exit from this realm. My wife came home from work tonight and said in a teary voice, “I’m ready for Spring to be here now.”
Several of my wife’s uncles and aunts were “invited” by the Russians to live in Siberia. 
I thought that as soon as I had to spend more than an hour in an unheated and uninsulated barn with ice building up on the floor. Winter’s all right (few things are more beautiful than looking at a snow covered forest in bright moonlight, after all), but enough’s enough. Besides, if it’s cold enough to snow/keep snow from melting, then it’s too cold to whistle outside. 