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Fall, how I love thee . . . let me count the ways.

And, summer. And, spring. Then, there is that long grueling time in between called "winter."

Growing up, I would hear people say, "I love having four seasons." So, I thought, "Yeah, I love having four seasons too." Then, I spent a fall semester living in Israel, where it stays warm all year, and guess what? I don't really need four seasons. When I was sitting on a beach in Galilee with my feet propped up in the sun studying for a test (in December) I realized I didn't miss trudging through the snow and braving the canyon winds of Logan one bit. Not one bit I tell ya! Yep. Warm is pretty much the only season I need.

Alas, I live in a place where winter is the longest season of all. Not only do I not enjoy cold, but, as an adult I've started to be SADD in the winter. We have fall, which, hands down, is the best. And, it winds up with a flurry of holidays. Goes out with a real bang from Halloween to E-Man's birthday, to one of my favorite days -- Thanksgiving. And, who doesn't love the whole Christmas season?

Then, comes January with inversions and weeks with high temps hovering in the teens. Ugh, January! And, while Valentine's Day is a little bright spot in February, we are still trudging through winter oft-times until the end of March. Sometimes into April. And, some years the cold seems to last through May and into June. It's maddening.

As we approach this inevitable season, I've decided to change my thinking. Scratch that last paragraph. I'm going to start a list of things to love about winter. I'll try to keep it in my head once January hits so I can make it until the sun shines again.

1. Hot cocoa. Who am I kidding? I drink it year round. But, it's a bit more satisfying in winter. I just discovered Starbucks Drinking Chocolate. Mmmm. It tastes like I'm drinking a candy bar. When I was in Russia, I visited a castle-like structure in Nizhni Novgorad. I had a cup of cocoa there that tasted all thick like melted chocolate. I've never forgotten that cup of cocoa. That is what Starbucks Drinking Chocolate is like.

2. Layers. So much easier to hide that not so flat tummy under. And, I love bundling the kids.

3. Early bedtime for the kids. I'm already enjoying this one immensely! All summer long all I heard was, "It's not dark outside!" while even my three-year-old stayed up past 10 p.m. every night. Love getting those munchkins off to dreamland by 8 p.m.

4. Cozy nights by the fire. Oh, wait. We don't have a fireplace (yet). But, I do love cozy nights cuddled up in blankets reading together.

5. The magic of freshly fallen snow.

6. Making a snowman. I have made a tradition of building at least one snowman per year with my kids since Soph was tiny.

7. Sledding. A bit of work and a cold day, but so much fun with the kids.

8. Seeing how much Soph loves winter. That girls loves every kind of weather.

9. Soup.

10. Citrus.

11. No yard work (and, Photoguy does all the shoveling -- bonus!).

That's about it. I mean, I do love skiing. Let's see, I've done that either once or twice in the past ten years. Having babies in rapid succession will do that to ya. And, I would really love to try snowshoeing with my kids now that they are a bit older. Snowmobiling could be on the list (hint, hint to all my friends with snowmobiles). And, a couple of times we've gone to a cabin in the Uintah's with friends in winter - very, very cozy!!

What do you love about winter?