Winter isn’t what it used to be: snow used to be around more, I used to be more eager to spend time in it. Winter isn’t what it used to be, but it’s still my favorite season. I am determined to celebrate what I have, for the sake of the child who played in every snowfall.

Being outside in winter, when it’s freezing cold, with no snow, is not half as fun as I remember it to be. I can bundle up all I want and I will still be frozen down to my bones. However, being inside in winter, when it’s freezing cold, even with no snow, is fantastic. I live for days under warm, fuzzy blankets. Warm drinks make it all the more cozy. In fact, being outside with a warm drink can be enjoyable too, as long as the drink is hot and tasty. Winter sleep is the best sleep because you can cuddle in, but it is this very sleep that makes it almost impossible to get out of bed in the winter months.

Besides cozy time inside, snowless winter days bring one other activity: ice skating. When it gets below 30, the stream behind my house freezes over. It’s shallow – never more than a foot deep – and close to my house, so there’s never any real danger. When I was younger I would spend hours on that stream with my family, making our way through the woods, sliding around in the open space, and occasionally having to rush back to the house because one of us broke through the ice and submerged our foot in freezing water. Turns out warm water feels a lot hotter when your foot was just soaked through.

Ice is fun, but snow is the real star of winter. Newly fallen snow is beautiful. The whole world is under a soft blanket, untouched and pure. Trees, covered in snow and frozen in ice, make a forest of white.

Snow brings the best days of winter: sledding, snow ball fights, and snowmen. When I was younger I would go sledding every winter on a hill by my house. At the bottom it was flat for a bit before it fell off into the Little Miami River. Thankfuly, no one ever fell in, but we had some close calls. We’ve had sleds that have stuck with us through the years, and others that have barely lasted a season. Circular sleds tend to break more easily. There were a lot of injuries on that hill, but a lot of good times too.

Winter gets a bad rap, but Winter brings beauty. Winter brings fun days outside. Winter brings the warmth of a blanket. By March I will be ready for spring, but until then I will enjoy this fleeting season.