Cold hands, warm heart

I absolutely hate the cold weather.

And that might be a slight understatement.

I don't like walking outside and feeling chills go through every part of my body. I don't like having to let my car warm up, shivering the entire time until I can finally turn on the heater. I don't like wearing more than four layers at a time when I have to be outside. I don't like losing all feeling in my fingers, even when I am wearing gloves or mittens that are supposed to keep a person from feeling like she is suffering from frostbite. Or hypothermia. I don't like my hands getting so dry that my fingers start cracking and bleeding. Gross. I don't like turning on the heater in my home and constantly keeping a personal space heater near me.

As negative as I sound right now, I could add many more things to the list. I just don't like being cold. Clearly winter is not my favorite time of year.

I have lived in Texas my entire life, and I never plan to make a new home somewhere up North—especially the New England area. It pains me just to hear about some of the temperatures and wintry mixes they get up there. Not my cup of tea.

It's no snow cone...

I miss warm weather. I love the smell of freshly mowed grass on a sunny, summer morning. I love eating snow cones and savoring the combination of ice, high fructose corn syrup and artificial flavoring. I love floating in the pool with a nice book in my hands. I love not wearing four or more layers when I am outside. I love being outside in warm weather. I love the triple digits. I love the days of baseball season. I could probably go on forever about all of the things I love about summer. Perhaps I shall spare you too much reading.

The thing is, though, I cannot make the chilly weather vanish. It will not disappear. It will linger around until it is time for it to leave for good for the year. And I will endure it.

One thing I have to remember is that you can't let the cold weather bring about a cold heart. Sometimes it's easy to become grumpy and a bit snappy when the bleak skies have you feeling down. So, I have compiled a list of some things that are actually good about this time of year. I hope you agree. If not, so be it.

Things that aren't so horrible about cold-weather months:

1. Things that smell like Christmas make me smile.

2. National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation and the Grinch.

3. "All I Want for Christmas is You" by Mariah Carey and the entire Taylor Swift Christmas CD.

4. The food.

5. Scarves.

6. Spending more time with families during the holidays.

7. Winter break.

8. The possibility of ending up under the mistletoe. (Totally kidding. Maybe.)

9. Christmas lights.

As I reflect on this list, it's quite apparent that most of them refer to things Christmas-related. I am aware that I just stated the obvious for you, but I think Christmas does tend to make a lot of people happier. I understand that not everyone celebrates Christmas, and it's more politically correct to say "the holidays." I've never considered myself a PC person, and I don't intend to start now.

I know that people often get so caught up in the frivolous aspects of Christmas—many of which can be found on my above list—but it is also important to remember why we celebrate this time of year. Our Jesus came to the earth from a virgin in some of the poorest conditions possible, and He did it all for us. That is one sacred manger where our Lord slept, and we shouldn't forget to adore Him—now and always.

So, yes, I hate cold weather. But I am more than happy to be celebrating this time of year with the ones I love--even if I have to wear a ski jacket, mittens, and ear warmers to do so.