Snow!

I've lived in Minnesota my whole life.  I suppose some might think that to be unsophisticated ~ after all, when one grows up doesn't one move away from home?  And where would I go if I were to move away?  Sunny California?  I hear San Diego's average temperatures range from fifty to eighty degrees throughout the year and rainfall is minimal.  And it never snows there.  Ever.

To some that sounds like a dream come true.  I've heard people complain about Minnesota winters my entire life.  Temperatures can get down to thirty degrees below zero (and then some), snow can accumulate from two to twelve inches in a single twenty-four hour period.  For me, I wouldn't have it any other way.

I never moved to California because I love the distinct seasons of Minnesota, winter being one of them.  The cold air and snow just add to Minnesota's charm.  While I don't participate in any winter activities like skiing, skating, or snowmobiling, winter is quickly becoming my favorite season.  Why?

It's so clean and white.

It's peaceful.

Sure, it's hard to get up at 5:00 in the morning on a cold winter morning to go out to the day job, but for the most part I relish the briskness of winter.  I love the crunch of the snow with each footstep I take.  Most of all, I don't think anyone, especially me, ever dreamed of a green Christmas.

Winter welcomes warm fires in the fireplace, hot baths, lots of creamy lotion on the skin, and best of all, savory soups, stews and warm breadsticks for dinner.  In so many ways winter is warmer than summer in Minnesota.

While people complain about temperatures and shoveling I roll my eyes, snug in my woolen socks and fluffy sweaters.  I wonder why they don't move to that temperate climate of California and let people like me embrace the stillness and quiet of the snowy winter.