Ok, I’ve got to share something.

I’ve never been a fan of winter, of cold weather, the snow the frost, any of it.

In fact, I've had a pretty rotten attitude when it came to winter up until this point.

But this fall I’ve made this conscious decision that I am going to make a real effort this year to change my mindset around winter.

It started with hygee and then when I read an article in The Atlantic about Tromso, Norway that talked about how the people there actually looked forward to "the blue period" or the Polar night where the sun doesn't rise from November to January. (The article was from 2015 but I discovered it as I was digging around the internet). They have a positive mindset when it comes to the darkness, to the cold, they were excited about it each year.

And I thought, damn if they can positive about darkness for three months I bet I can get excited about a few months of cold weather.

So I set out on my mission of changing how I viewed and approached the winter.

I wrote a post last week about “Getting into the Winter Spirit” which takes you through some of my favorite "winter" things I want to do this year.

And I really have found that fitting in time for all the great parts of winter really makes it a time to savor.

I used to be such a negative nancy when it came to the cold. I would focus all of my energy on all the negative aspects of it and almost go out of my way to play up the bad things.

I wouldn’t wear enough layers or bundle up adequately before heading outside, and then be upset about it being too cold. Last year I bought a good quality coat and over bundled myself.

Back in the day, winter break would come, and while I liked not having class I always disliked the break from my friends. Nowadays I look forward to the holidays because it means family time.

Another thing I am going to add to this winter that I usually never make time for in the cold months is working out. I have a whole plan for myself, which I’ll be sharing in a post later this month.

I guess the biggest point I’m trying to make here is that winter isn’t inherently worse than summer. It’s just different. But just like how summer has it’s cons, winter has its pros. But it’s your job to find them.

It’s on you to find what you like about winter or would like, and to focus on that. And to prepare yourself when it comes to the cold and colds.

So put on some fluffy socks and wrap yourself in an oversized cardigan, grab a mug of something hot, and snuggle around the fireplace with some of the people you love. And I promise you’ll start loving winter more and more too.