5 FANDOM FRIDAY: WINTER FAVORITES

5 Fandom Friday is a series hosted by The Nerdy Girlie and Super Space Chick.This week’s Fandom Friday is all about My Favorite Things About Winter. Living in beautiful Bozeman, Montana I certainly know what winter is like because around here we have two seasons August and Winter. It is not uncommon to see snow in mid-June even here in the valley. I remember my first year here students were making snowmen during Finals Week in May.

So yeah it gets cold here (below zero last week) and it snows quite a bit. You get used to driving in the snow and ice, and if you are a Winter sports fan Big Sky Country is definitely worth it. Skiing, snowboarding, Cross country skiing, sledding…you name it. I’ve been lucky enough to do a snow coach in Yellowstone and riding on the one horse drawn sleigh. It is beautiful like I said, but I wish it would snow everywhere except for streets and sidewalks. I won’t miss the below zero weather when E and I move down to California, but I might just miss seeing snow covered peaks every morning. So here are my top five reasons why I love winter. How about you? What are your favorite things about Winter?

HIBERNATION
When I think of Winter, I think of cuddling on the couch under a big blanket, a mug of tea or cider, and some epic Netflix marathons or a ton of reading. When winter comes around, I hibernate. I become a homebody even more so than usual. It’s not just because I don’t want to go drive in the snow and ice (though yes it is a big factor), but something about the season. Winter makes me want to be at home and so home is usually where I stay unless you are extremely convincing. I don’t think hibernation is a bad thing and one of my favorite things about Winter.

THE CRUNCH OF SNOW
Winter means snow and in Montana there is usually a lot of it. While I may not like driving in the snow or temperatures that stay in the single digits, one of my favorite things to do after it has snowed is to go for a walk at night or perhaps it is as simple as going to my car to warm it up in the morning. It is quiet, a nice hush all around you and when you step you can hear the crunch of the snow. I love that sound. As if it is the only sound around. Everything else is still and beautiful.

WEASELS/ERMINE
Okay so maybe weasels is a bit weird, but we have them here. In fact my parents place has a wonderful little family that live in the landscaping rocks in the backyard. In the summer they are a lovely brown with a black tipped tail. But in the winter, when they are called ermine, oh how gorgeous they are. They are a dense and silky white with their little black tail. They are gorgeous. And I love to watch them hunt in the snow. Almost as much as I love watching the foxes pounce as they hunt. These are things I am definitely going to miss about Montana.

CHRISTMAS LIGHTS
I think it is the warm glow from all of the homes covered in snow. When I was a kid we used to pile into the family car with our mugs of hot cocoa and Christmas cookies, turn on some Christmas tunes, and drive around the various neighborhoods that were heavily decorated for the holiday season. There were even some places that you could get out and walk around. Back in Sioux Falls we did the same thing except now our thermoses contained Schnapps as much as they did hot chocolate. There were specific neighborhoods like Candy Cane Lane and I loved seeing the ways that different households used the same basic decoration and made it their own. Here in Montana the lights can be simple and less Griswold and there are not too many neighborhoods where the decorating is dense, but I still like seeing the warm glow of lights in the windows and on the trees. Makes this smirking girl a happy camper.

THE SNOWY MOUNTAINS
Finally I cannot help but think of winter and not think of the amazing landscapes I look at every damn day. Seriously it is gorgeous. I mean Misty Mountains type gorgeous. Granted the snow topped peaks usually last until what most people call summer, but I don’t mind. It is the quintessential element of winter for me. And again one thing that won’t be quite the same next winter when we are in San Francisco. Hopefully we will be able to come back for the Holidays and I can get my snowy mountain fix.