There’s something to love in every season. Sure, the weather can be cold and yucky in December, but there are also a lot of great things about this time. Here are a few of my favorite things about December. What are a few of your favorite things?

1. Christmas

The whole month is spent building up to this one day. I love the excitement that builds knowing you’ll be celebrating with friends and family, eating good food, and exchanging gifts. The closer you get, the more the excitement builds. And with all the excitement and shopping and cheer, it’s like the whole month is a holiday!

2. Family

Yes, I know this goes on all of my lists, but it has to be my favorite thing about every season and holiday. The most exciting part of this month for me is that I get to go visit my family, spend time with them, play games, laugh, and just make memories together.

3. Sitting around a fire.

I have been lucky this month to experience this multiple times, once around a fireplace - a real fireplace! You don’t see many of those anymore, but there is truly something magical, warm and cozy about them. We also had a campfire a few times in the fire pit. Nothing like sitting around a fire with friends or family talking and hanging out, even roasting a few marshmallows. There’s just something warm and relaxing about it.

4. Fresh snow.

I love when you look outside, not even knowing the weather and discover that the ground is covered in fresh snow. I don’t know why, but this has always been exciting to me. Snow is magical, beautiful, and white. Especially just after it falls, before there are any footprints or dirt in it, just a soft blanket of pure white. It makes me feel like a kid again, every time I see it. Snow also makes the cold a little more tolerable. Cold air without any snow is just miserable.

5. Christmas music

There is a whole style of music made just for this month: Christmas music. Sure, some songs are annoying, but they’re so fun and cheery and they are fun songs to sing along with. I personally love the classics - Frank Sinatra, Elvis, and Bing Crosby Christmas music. It’s just one more thing that makes this time of year unique.

6. Christmas lights

I love how bright and colorful everything is when it’s all decorated for Christmas. It helps the short and dark days more tolerable when everything’s lit up with lights.

7. Food, food, and more food

Who doesn’t love food? I know I’m crazy about it, it's another one of my favorite things. I love December and Christmas time because it’s an excuse to go to lots of parties and feast. And warm food is just wonderful to warm you up when it’s cold outside.

8. Snowflakes

Do you ever look closely at a snowflake and all the intricate details on each one? It’s so fascinating. There’s nothing quite like snowflakes!

9. Hot drinks

When it’s cold out is the best time to cozy up with a nice mug of something hot. I drink tea daily, but I also love hot cocoa and hot apple cider. Yum!

10. Fuzzy socks and slippers

This is the time of year to pull out those warm fuzzy socks. I made sure to even get big enough boots this year so I could wear fuzzy socks with them. You must try this, your feet will love it! And if you’re ever having trouble coming up with a good gift idea, you can never go wrong with fuzzy socks. They are the best gift ever.

11. Gifts

Isn’t it awesome that we have a whole holiday that’s centered around gift giving? It’s fun receiving gifts, but I also have a lot of fun coming up with gifts to get for my family and watching their faces when they open them.

12. Candy canes

I love how every holiday has their own special candies and treats. One of my favorites is good old-fashioned peppermint candy canes. I always like seeing how sharp I can make the candy cane by licking it. I also like dipping them in my hot cocoa, yum!

13. Joy

I love that this a season about being joyful, celebrating, and spending time with the ones you love. We all need more joy in our lives, so I love that we can have a month where we are reminded of that joy.

14. Christmas movies

Fun classics that we all love and can share laughs as we watch them. Elf and The Grinch are some of my favorites. What are your favorite Christmas movies?

15. Christmas break

I am so happy to be finishing up a semester and have a few weeks off, as I'm sure all of us students are. Those who have already graduated also get a few days off work. It's nice to just kick back and relax.

December is a time of warmth and love, of Christmas cheer and celebration. These are few of my favorite things about December. What are yours?