The runoff election between incumbent President Hamid Karzai and his main challenger, former foreign minister Abdullah Abdullah faces multiple challenges: Taliban intimidation, voter apathy and cynicism, increasingly harsh winter weather, and,most of all,a turnaround time of only two weeks.

VOA: standard.2009.10.28

Spain, by comparison to Germany, has only a two-week winter break, as does Italy, while England sits at the opposite end of the spectrum: Between the Premier League and the FA Cup, the holiday season is extremely congested, making it a traditional make-or-break-point for many campaigns.

WSJ: The Secret of Germany's Success

Winter lasted only two months a year, and our family turned quite British for this season.

NPR: In The Kitchen With Madhur Jaffrey

His power had been shut off, so he faced a New England winter with only two woodstoves to provide heat.

NPR: Neighbor Sours On Property Sale To Vt. Governor