Baby it's cold outside

When I moved to New York in 2010, I can't even begin to tell you how many times people told me "just wait until winter", or "you're never going to make it through January/February in Manhattan", or "how are you liking you're first winter"....and my friends know how much that irked me.  Not only because I have in fact visited many, many winter cities, but also because, I didn't mind it at all!  I've written volumes about how much I love the fall, and summer is always a fun season, and spring is gorgeous.   But for a girl raised in California, I've surprisingly come to appreciate and welcome the winter months & weather more than I anticipated, and more than people thought I would.

Here we are, 22 days into January, and we finally had our first snow of 2012.  Last year was one of the worst winters in New York and I heard apologies from native New Yorkers as if it was their fault that my first winter brought what seemed like weekly blizzards.  But as I did in 2011 for the fall, there are some really, really great things about the winter season, regardless of how bad you might think the weather is.  Here are my favorite things about the season:

1.  Snow!  I'm not at that point in my life where I am annoyed when white, powdery stuff falls from the sky.  I was up and at 'em yesterday morning pretty early, and snuggled up under a cozy fur blanket with my book with my blinds open to watch the snow fall from the sky.  It may create a mess a few hours later, but the silence of the snow falling is still a beautiful sight to see, and it only happens a few times a year, so I have to enjoy it when I can.

2.  Snow days - Growing up as a kid, I was always jealous of my cousins in Connecticut who got to skip school in the winter because of snow days.  A random day in the middle of the week to stay inside in front of a nice warm fire is always a good thing, even if you have to get out of school one day later in June.  In the professional world, we may not get technical snow days, but there is a quiet around the agency when it snows.  People are stranded by inoperable trains, as well as closed streets and bridges, and in that case the only way to get work done is to just work from home (well not for me because I'm the lucky one to live only two subway stops from the office!).  But if there is one thing that can "slow" down the New York pace, it's snow.

3.  The quiet of the city after a blizzard - New York is a loud place to live.  Never in my life did I have to sleep with ear plugs until we moved to New York (that has something to do with Winston's snoring as well). Honking horns, sirens, and screaming people leaving the bars late at night/early in the morning, are just a few of the regular sounds, to name a few.  But there is nothing quite like waking up the morning after a blizzard to the sound of silence.  No cars are out on the streets, there are significantly less people out and about, and you can walk in the middle of Park avenue if there is enough snow.  It's one of the only times where there is actually quiet in the chaos of Manhattan.

4.  An excuse to have hot chocolate - It may not be the best idea for my waistline, but hot chocolate is delicious, and I have no qualms about a giant mug of steaming cocoa when it's snowing outside.

5.  This! 

How can this NOT make you happy....and I'd like to give a little shout out for my first video upload!  It took almost an hour, but it's so sweet to see how happy that little guy is in the snow.  He's sat in front of the sliding glass door all day yesterday longing to go out and play.

6.  Bundling up!  I'm not saying I enjoy over-sized bulky coats, or heavy snow boots that hurt my ankles when I wear them.  But a big comfy sweater, brand new cushy socks, funny little mittens and a silly hats with a big fluffy ball on top are fun to wear when it's cold outside.

7.  Fireplaces - We obviously don't have a real one in our apartment, but we have an electric one.  It doesn't give off the same warmth and crackling noises, but it makes our place feel a bit more home-y when we're stranded inside on a snowy day.  And if you can find a restaurant or drinking establishment in New York with a fireplace, it's an automatic headquarters for festivities on cold, winter-y evenings.  We are lucky enough to have a gem of a "nook" across the street called Molly's which is perfect for a little bit of Jameson or a nice scotch to warm our bellies up.

 In February and March when there is freezing rain, I might feel differently.  I will no doubt be ready to start wearing sandals and sundresses pretty soon.  And I'll be longing for an escape to some tropical destination for some relief, but who would have known that a California girl would grow to love all the seasons so much, even the "unlovable" winter.  I'm hoping for a few more days like yesterday to slow us all down from our crazy, busy lives and spend a day being lazy, without feeling bad & guilty.   That truly is the best part of winter.