7 great things to miss about winter

Cooper is obviously cold
Right now back home everyone is suffering through a particularly harsh winter in terms of temperatures and snow accumulation. Here in the south of Spain we have temps in the 60´s and the sun is shining almost every day. To be honest, there is not much that I miss about Michigan winters (since I am not a winter sports person) but since I wrote a post about 7 great things to miss about fall (read it here) I figured I should do one about winter as well because honestly here it doesn´t exist.

1. Snow days
Who as a child (or as an adult) doesn´t love to be able to fall back into bed because school is canceled? During those days the world was your oyster. You could play all day outside in the snow. It was the best!

2. Hot chocolate
My mom was a pro at having hot chocolate on hand for when we would come inside after being out in the cold. There is nothing like a steaming cup of hot chocolate with little marshmallows in it. For some reason it is just not the same drink if you aren´t waiting for your extremities to unfreeze.

3.  Waking up to fresh snow
Before anyone treads on it, when it is pristine, snow can be quite beautiful. This is obviously before you have to go out and shovel or try to drive your car on icy roads. But there is something about waking up and seeing that it has snowed that I miss.

4. Christmas lights
Though some people do put up lights here in Spain (and cities/villages normally do have them in their centers) the show is no where near as good as back home. I miss being able to get into a car and drive around admiring the lights, giving critiques. I myself prefer multi-colored lights and not just white ones but to each his own. I love it when people are tasteful with their lights but even more so when they go all out.

5. Bell ringers
  Although this is something that happens mostly around the holidays and not necessarily throughout winter, I really enjoy seeing the Salvation Army people outside different establishments ringing their bells. I remember as a child my mom giving us change to drop in and feeling awesome after having done so. This holiday season each time we were out Jose and I donated money or bought things for charity but it isn`t the same as having a bell ringer there.

6. Santa
I miss having Jolly Old St. Nick around. He exists here in Spain but isn´t as important as the 3 Kings. Going to a mall at Christmas time and not seeing a line of excited kids and exhausted parents waiting to see Santa is a bummer. Jose and I have been thinking about ways we will be able to incorporate Santa into the lives of our future children.

7. Central heating/chimneys
It isn't like we are suffering from much cold here in the south of Spain but there are many days where it is colder inside my apartment than it is outside. The buildings are made to be cool in the hot summers, not to be particularly warm in the winter. I miss having central heating and being able to get out of the shower in the morning without freezing.

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