I used to hate the snow!

And I mean – hate it – with a passion!

I had officially declared that winter was the worst season of the year!

And I made sure to let everyone around me know how much I hated it!

But then I had my son.

Right after that, I got laid off from my job.

My long distance driving suddenly came to a halt and I started to look at the snow out my window differently.

Was it because I no longer had to stand out in the freezing cold scraping my car windows at 5am?

Was it because I no longer had to bundle up a baby at 5:30am, stick him in his annoying car seat just to unbundle him again?

Maybe it was because I could now just sit in the house while the sky dumped 12 feet of snow and I had no reason to go out in it.

Whatever the reason, I have a new perspective with the old one still in rememberance.

And here is how you can enjoy the snow, too, even though you may still have to face the dread of it the way that I once used to.

Give it a Good Hard Look

Don’t think about the horrible drive in it to work tomorrow.

And don’t think about how you have to go out and shovel for 2 hours.

Try to put all of that aside just for 5 minutes.

Look out your window and study how pretty it looks draped over the trees.

Squint real hard and see if you can spot a squirrel running through it in the distance.

Look up at a bird and think about what that bird must think about the snow.

Take in just how pretty it really is.

As adults, we tend to grow into an “I hate the snow” attitude.

Once that happens, it seems as though that is all that we can see.

When I really started to take a good hard look at it, I realized how pretty it was!

I took some time every day to take a look at it and it started to change my perspective.

Bundle Up!

Put on your warmest winter clothes and step outside!

That’s all you have to do.

Don’t go shoveling or cleaning off your car!

Remember, those are the things that more than likely made you hate the snow in the first place!

Take a few minutes and just stand in the snow as it is coming down all around you.

Put your hands out and collect a few snowflakes.

Every time I see a single snowflake I think of how no two snowflakes are the same.

Just look at it and study it and think about it.

Watch it slowly melt in on your glove!

If you just take a few minutes to stand there and be a part of the snow, it may help you see it differently.

Watch Your Kids!

Pay really close attention to how excited your kids (or the neighbors kids) get about the snow!

I was in awe when I started watching my son enjoy the snow for the first time!

It took me back to the days when I was little and my dad would pull me in the sled.

Or the one year that he built me the coolest igloo on the face of the planet!

Those were times when I actually loved the snow!

So how come I couldn’t love it now?

Watching my son toddle through it for the first time and explore it sort of brought back all of those memories.

Seeing him love to sled or snowboard and take on the snow as though it was a theme park started to make me feel excited about it again, too!

You don’t have to actually play in the snow with your kids.

Just sit on the porch and watch them have a ball!

Chances are, it will bring a smile to your face, too!

If You’re Ready, Jump in!

Does watching your kids make you feel like a kid again, too, now?!

Throw on some snowpants and jump right in!

Build a snow fort!

An igloo!

Make some snow angles!

Build the classic snowman!

Go sledding!

How about snowboarding?

Skiing?

Have an awesome snowball fight!

Playing with the snow and being a part of it may actually help you to truly find love for it!

And here’s a bonus…

If you actually feel up to joining in on the snow fun, too, it is also a great way to connect with your kids!

Spending interactive time with them means so much!

And it is something that they will more than likely remember forever!

The Joy After!

After you have been outside in the snow (whether it is just standing in it or playing in it), there is one thing that you must do to tie up the experience!

Can you guess what it is?

That’s right!

You should come in and have something warm to drink!

Preferably a cup of hot chocolate with marshmallows!

This post-experience is what makes the snow truly more enjoyable!

You are pairing the desire of a warm, tasty drink with the cold and this helps to may help you love the snow even more!

To me, it is the best part of playing in the snow!

Coming in, sitting by the fireplace and having a cup of hot chocolate with my kids.

Hey, if you don’t go out and experience the cold, how can you experience the joy of coming in?

Set Some Limits!

Ok.

We all know that you may have to go out and shovel the snow.

Or you may have to clean off your car.

Blah!

But if you can limit how often you have to go out and do that, it may take the yuck out of your snow experience.

If you have a garage or a carport, try and keep your vehicle parked in it so that you don’t have to clean the snow off of it in the morning.

It is also better for your vehicle to keep it parked in a covered area.

I see many people today using their garage as a storage area or as a sitting area complete with a TV and everything!

And then they keep their vehicles parked in the driveway or the street.

If your vehicle is in a covered area, you won’t have to dread going out and cleaning the snow off of it!

Shoveling snow can also be a drag.

Try taking turns with your partner for shovel duty.

If there is a teen in your neighborhood who would be willing to come shovel for you for a fair price, it may be worth it!

Or you could hire a company to come out and clear the walking areas for you.

The less time that you have to do work in the snow, the more likely you will be to see the snow from a sunnier perspective!

Give the Snow a Big Kiss!

Now that you have tried the above tactics to help you learn to love the snow, blow that snow a big kiss!

Tell it how much you love it!

Make the snow your new best bud!

Let the snow know how pretty it looks and thank it for decorating your world!

After all, it will only be a short amount of time before it all melts away and spring takes over.

So enjoy the time that you have with the snow now before the warmer weather takes it away!