I actually look forward to snow every winter.

Yes, I know it sounds crazy, but I love it. Perhaps this is because I was born and raised in the North, and snowy, cold, icy winters is all I've come to know in the last 18 years. Maybe it's because after a snowstorm, the chances of school being cancelled increase dramatically. Or perhaps it's because there is nothing prettier than a landscape after it has been covered with fresh snow, or the white chunks of frozen water glittering in the sun. To me, there is nothing more magical than that.

My favorite season is winter. I love winter, largely because of the snow. To me, winter doesn't arrive until the snow does. Now, normally where I live this wouldn't be a problem: Usually by now, a coat of snow at least a few inches deep would cover the ground, and most likely it wouldn't leave until spring. The roads would be covered in slush, dyed dark by oil and dirt from cars. Kids would spend their time bundled up outside, building snowmen and snow forts. Snow tires would have been put on each car, a scrapper placed in every trunk.

None of this has happened this year and, to be honest, I am sad about it. Because of abnormally warm temperatures, there has yet to be a dramatic snowstorm to blanket my home state this season. Instead of black ice and winter boots, deep puddles line the streets, and people carry umbrellas. Instead of crisp, white lawns, muddy grass forms an undesirable view when I look out the window. Imagine a winter without snow. Devastating, right?

I know that some people are bound to disagree with me. I am fully aware of and respect the warm-weather oriented people who, for whatever reason, decided to settle in the North, where it is cold and there is snow. I understand that snow is sometimes a pain to drive in, and that it is cold. Seat warmers and heated steering wheels can only go so far, I know.

Well, just for one second, think about the children. No, seriously. For me, as a kid (and even now), nothing was more exciting than waking up on a Saturday, seeing it had snowed overnight, jumping out of bed, and pulling on your snow stuff. I loved playing in the snow, building snowmen and forts, sledding down giant hills for hours, then coming inside and sitting down to a nice, steamy cup of hot cocoa. Nothing could beat that. With no snow, kids today will never experience this staple of childhood, and that would really be a shame.

For the teens or adults who like to pretend they are too mature for that stuff now: Everyone knows that you're not. So don't lie. You love snowball fights and doing doughnuts in your cars as much as anyone else. And I know that secretly you are hoping for snow too.

So, I guess this is my plea for snow to come and blanket my world in soft pureness for the first time this season. I would really appreciate cuddling up in a sweater by the fireplace with a cup of hot chocolate, reading my favorite book, watching the snow fall through the night out my window right about now. And I know everyone else would too.

So, snow, just do us all a favor and arrive already. We are tired of waiting.