Autumn leaves are falling and disappearing which means the holidays are just around the corner. Finals are creeping up on you and the homework is adding up. The air is frosty and the sky looks white in the morning. Winter is just around the corner and everyone can feel it! While sometimes the lack of sun and biting cold can get you down, here is a list of things to look forward to as December arrives.
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Shopping for Presents
Both a gift and a curse, and it doesn’t have to break your wallet. There are so many places to get cute, inexpensive things for the people you love (check out the dollar section at Target). You get to take an afternoon to curl ribbon, tape paper, and make beautiful packages. Then, you get to see the look on your friends and family’s faces as they open your gift.
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2. The First Snow
There are few things in this world more delicate and romantic than a snowfall. The air has been cold for weeks but finally, the little white crystals fall from the sky and, even if just for a moment, time stops. Even though it looks silly, stick out your tongue and try to catch a couple. The world will be frosted until it melts and you might even score a day off of school or work.
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3. Hot Drinks
Cider, cocoa, hot coffee, tea . . . Winter is the season of hot drinks and a time to celebrate them. It is socially acceptable to drink three mugs of hot chocolate in a day and maybe even go back for a fourth. Not only do they give you an energy boost, but they warm you up inside and out as you hold them.
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4. Time Off
Winter is the time for taking a few days off of work and spending them with people you love. Even if you’re not surrounded by your family, you still get a few days to recover and recalibrate before the coming spring. It gives you a moment to breathe and just take care of yourself even as the winter blues set in.
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5. Blankets, Lots of Blankets
There is no better excuse to cover yourself with soft, fuzzy things than a cold day. You can cover yourself in two, three, four, blankets and burrow down for a movie or to read a book. You can truly make yourself a comfortable nest to exist in,even if only for a little while.
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6. Going Home
Tis the season for seeing all of your relatives, near and far and whether that’s a blessing or a curse is for you to decide yourself. Going to your hometown or to a relative’s home can bring you a sense of community larger than yourself. Home is filled with love. Be it your blood family or your found family, there is always a place for you to go and people who want nothing more than to hug you and talk about times past with you.
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7. Decorative Lights
No matter where you live, be it a college campus, a super festive neighborhood, anywhere, there will be festive lights. Driving around at night and seeing them or checking out your local botanical gardens can be a fun winter event. Golden bulbs strung on tree branches, fairy lights in windows, glowing red and green rooftops, lights can make the world seem so much more magical than on a day to day basis.
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8.Traditions
Whatever your religion and what you celebrate, there are some things you’re bound to do every winter. Things that you and your family and friends do together or individually. Hang up your stockings, play scrabble in the kitchen, bake cookies together, anything that happens every year, or almost every year, is something wonderful to look forward to.