I have the same issue with living in Vancouver. It might be worse having come from Calgary, Alberta. Generally, in the prairies, the winters are bright and sunny. It's even nice further north around Edmonton where they get more significant snow, because the snow reflects a lot of the sunlight. By contrast, the Pacific Northwest is full of rain and overcast skies. Seasonal Affective Disorder is a term everyone here is familiar with. Most people seem to think snow is the big issue to face in the winter. For me, snow is no problem. Overcast and rainy skies 90%+ of the time is a big issue to consider, however.