"The cold winter wind had brought with it..." ~ Jane Eyre

Winter and I have a love/hate relationship.

Winter arrives tomorrow, so once again I am faced with the complexities of the season. Each year it is hard to decipher if the good outweighs the bad. Since I will always be a New Yorker, leaving Winter is impossible. I have learned to cope with the bad and accept that side of winter, but winter still frustrates me each year that we meet.

I can be riding high off a great winter moment, such as trimming my Christmas tree, and then winter hits me with a head cold. Talk about passive/aggressive.

This entry pays tribute to winter: the good, the bad, and the ugly blue Uggs.

I. I Heart Winter...

* Despite the fact that my first time on skis landed me in a bush, I love the adrenaline rush I get going down the mountain. I prefer to ski alone; its personal time to just enjoy the scenery as I ride the lift, as well as swoosh down the slope.

* Sleeping in on Sunday mornings is the best sleep-in of the year. Snuggling under the comforter and realizing that technically one does not have to get out from under the covers to do anything or go anywhere until the football games start is quite a wonderful thought.

* Crate and Barrel has been making chocolate covered marshmallows for the past few winter seasons. For those of you who think that is too much to put into hot chocolate, we shall never be close friends. I only surround myself with people who know that there is no such thing as too much chocolate.

* The sun is brightest in the winter after a snow. There are no green leaves on the trees to block the sun, and the reflection off of the snow makes it even brighter than the sun reflecting on the ocean in the summer. The crisp, blue sky is invigorating, which is why I like taking walks after a snow.

* Cashmere sweaters are more comfortable than flip-flops, and knee-high boots are sexier than tank tops.

* I get presents on Christmas in December AND on my birthday in January.

* Two vacations: Christmas Break and President's Week. Ahhhh, its good to be the teacher.

* Wintertime is when one can wear socks without feeling dorky about it.

* The winter flavors at Fourbucks, which include gingerbread lattes and peppermint mochas.

* I get to wear the "f-ck me red" color on the toenails; spring and summertime leave me stuck with pastels and tropical colors.

* There are clementines in abundance at the produce stands; they are a great snack on a cold day because they remind me of summertime when I peel them and eat them.

* Sitting by the fireplace and feeling like a piece of toast is a buttery feeling. I was fortunate to have a fireplace in my home as a child, and I can roast myself at Missy's when need be. I remember that my father didnt want to use the starter logs for the fireplace, so during cold nights we would take trips out to the backyard to get firewood. It was quite Little House on the Suburban block.

* Within the past week I have discovered that having butt warmers in one's car is absolutely fantastic, and I shall miss it dearly when the weather is no longer cold.

* NYC is the coziest place to be in the winter. Although the harsh, cold streets are difficult to walk down at times, there are always dozens of warm and inviting places to go get warm in. Some of my favorite winter warm spots in the Big Apple are Artisinal, Balthazar, the MET, the boutiques of Soho, and Second Avenue Deli.

II. I Hate Winter...

* I will be the first to admit that I have succumb to the pressure of wearing Uggs. I asked for dark brown Ugg clogs for the holidays. However, some of the Ugg colors make winter plain ugly. If anything, they are the color of Easter eggs! Baby Blue? Baby Pink? Baby, get some taste in fashion! Uggh!

* The reason why places such as Bath and Body Works need to have amazing smells for their lotions is because women like me are constantly pouring globs of it all over our dry skin. I have nightmares about drowning in globules of cranberry-scented lotion.

* The runny-drippy-red nose look is not sexy. Period.

* I am not able to drink margaritas or any other tropical drink with an mini umbrella in it.

* It is easier to rationalize eating comfort foods like mac and cheese and red wine without feeling any guilt.

* While snow days are delightful, shoveling snow to get out is detestable. Sometimes after shoveling on a snow day, I go right back inside and change back into my pajamas.

* Ralph's Italian Ices is closed.

* I am always misplacing scarves and hats.

* I get peeved that bears get to hibernate and I don't. Grrrrrowl.

* My car gets dirty every other day from salt on the road. This winter I will be especially anal in making sure my car is clean at all times. I saw a little splatter of mud by the tire this morning and had a meltdown.

* I take more hot showers and baths, which then leads to more dry skin, which then leads to more lotion, etc. What a vicious cycle.

* My toesies have to be saran-wrapped after a pedicure to get back into my shoes without smudging the polish.

* There are now flowers. My favorite flowers are African daisies, sunflowers, and roses.