Love the cold!

So the November blog prompt today is What do you like most about cold weather? What do you like least?

It finally got cold here and I knew I was missing something. I have many things I love about the cold, but it depends on whether it's a damp cold and dry cold. I love cold weather because I can wear a coat, hat and scarf. We can cook casseroles and soup and baked things. I love the seasonal lattes at coffee shops (and today had a peppermint mocha at Peets). I have more energy to be outside and exercise. It means planning for holidays, being thankful, being generous, being reflective. I read more in the winter and I get more knitting projects accomplished. I love sleeping under comforters.

I love cold temperature, but I don't like long hours of darkness, and I don't like endless days of rain. It gets harder as I get older, too. This ennui always hits me after the holidays when there are 3 more months of endless rain. I like the little surprises though that come around February, like primroses and hellebore, and by the end of February I can put away my light box because it's getting light enough for me to feel like I'm waking up.

We just got back from Trader Joe's and we found some good treats like sweet potato tarts with candied pecans and drinking chocolate (not hot chocolate). It's time for holiday food and I'm getting excited. I have a hankering for decorating this year. I hope the dogs cooperate!