Christmas is coming, and the goose is getting fat.

I'm fairly certain that I have mentioned my country of birth.  For those of you who haven't caught on, I'm from Canada - you know, the true North, strong and free?  The home of ice hockey and beavertails?  Still nothing?  We're better known for being the big, cold, mostly empty land mass to the north of the United States.  Ring any bells yet?

Well, there you go.  Hopefully that is a helpful visual aid.

I love Canada.  I think it's a great country; it has a beautiful landscape, is a melting pot of cultures, and, of course, everyone loves the free health care. (Except the people trying to pay off the debt it engenders - but that's a different blog entry.)

There is, however, one aspect of Canada that many could do without - the frigid winters.  Ask any Canadian you know.  It's fun to a point.  The first snowfall is always great; then come the first snow angels, the first snowmen, the first skating expeditions.  And then, of course, there's Christmas.

But after the first two months of a constant temperature of twenty below, the magic of wintertime seems to fade in a flurry of broken down cars, expensive snow gear, and frostbite.  The days get shorter, the workload gets greater, and many people are left with a pervading sense of stress and mild to severe depression.

There's no doubt that there are downfalls to winter.  For me, though, it's worth it.  Maybe that's just because I don't have a car, or have a higher rate of study halls, or am young enough to not worry about getting to work on time.  That's probably a big part of it.  But I think it's more than that.  I've had some of the best times of my life in the winter.  Hot tubbing in February, playing Said the Whale's This City's A Mess in my room while the wind whips the siding, the first Christmas my friends and I spent together - all are irreplaceable moments in my life, things I'll never forget.

So, I wish you all a happy winter.  I know it can be unpleasant, cold, and stressful, but there's beauty in it too.  Notice the beauty, and when times get tough, band together with those around you - sometimes it's during the times of greatest trial that we begin to truly appreciate the glorious world around us.

Girl With One Eye