Winter Wonderland

Woke up in the middle of the night (OK, it was 5 a.m. but when you go to sleep at 1:30, it counts) to snow falling for the second time this season. Technically, it's not winter for another few weeks, but the white stuff on the ground would argue otherwise. Plus, Hanukkah starts in two nights and the Christmas marketing extravaganza is in full swing. So, imbued with a bit of the holiday spirit and forgoing my usual snarky sentiment, I figured I would offer a little ode to winter as a way to ease the transition.

TOP 5 REASONS WHY I AM HAPPY IT'S WINTER by SHTETL FABULOUS
1. Presents. What can I say - I like getting stuff, and giving is good too.
2. Snow angels and snowball fights. I didn't get to do this much as a kid and it makes you less pissy when you work up a sweat in your good clothes cleaning snow off your car. Plus there's the actual potential for snow days.
3. Cashmere. I love this stuff so much, I will literally sleep in it... though not in March through November.
4. Food. While I like to think I cook well, I am not the most refined chef. Wintertime is perfect for the rustic, country, informal type entertaining and cooking that I love best.
5. Parties. Last year, I made my Kwanzaa party debut and this year I'm hosting a Hanukkah shindig straight outta da shtetl. Though it sucks that the cold weather makes it harder to work off the extra calories by pounding the pavement, the social butterfly in me will happily log in the necessary gym hours to compensate for goodies and beer.

So maybe winter isn't too bad after all. Of course, I might feel differently come mid-February.