When winter finally arrives, I’m happy as a clam. I’m looking forward to a solid three months of bundling up, celebrating holidays and the crisp winter air that comes with the drop in temperature.

But when we actually find ourselves knee deep in freezing temperatures (aka now), I find myself less than enthused at certain things that the season brings with it.

Don’t get me wrong – winter is still one of my favorite seasons and I’m enjoying everything it has to offer, but I always seem to forget the little annoyances that come along with the great stuff. While I love it more than anything, there are some things I’d be crazy to not be hatin’ right about now.

Love: Being able to wear my adorable plaid pea coat and leather motorcycle gloves.

Hate: Wearing said coat to run errands and coming back with huge pit stains from sweating my ass off in every store I enter.

Love: All the cute winter activities: ice skating, drinking hot chocolate, holiday themed shows, window shopping the Christmas displays…I can go on and on.

Hate: That I can’t get from activity to activity without my nose turning bright red and my entire face going numb so that I can’t feel the snot dripping down my cheek.

Love: Boots! I can finally bring them all out of storage! My leather motorcycle boots with the chain-linked ankles; the suede above-the-knees flats; my ankle booties; my super comfy, broken-in UGGS…

Hate: That every pair of boots gets encrusted with that salt and slush mixture no matter how careful I am to avoid puddles and snow piles.

Love: Coming in from a chilly day to a toasty room, a comfy pair of sweats, and a warm cup of coffee.

Hate: The fact that the chilly air dries my face out and leaves my skin blotchy and flaking.

Love: Everything about the season is romantic: the holiday lights, snuggling up on the couch, sharing lattes at a café, going Christmas shopping and wrapping presents…

Hate: That the romance in the air suddenly sets off the PDA impulse of all couples and I find myself dodging games of tonsil hockey and hand-holding roadblocks at every turn.

Love: The cute winter accessories that have us all looking like snow bunnies – the puffy earmuffs, cable knit scarves and slouchy berets.

Hate: That the winter accessories make my hair frizzy, static-y and full of tangles and breakage. By the time I get to my destination and take off my winter get-up I look like I stuck my finger in a socket… and used my upper lip as a tissue.

Love: That I can grow my leg hair out 3 inches and no on ever has to know.

Hate: That if I happen to secure a booty call I have to go “freshen up” and try and shave those bad boys off ASAP before he realizes that under my jeans I look like a gorilla.

What else do you guys love or loathe about the season?

That being said, I have a few favorite drinks that do really well in cold weather.

Peppermint Hot Chocolate:

This ain’t your grandma’s hot cocoa. (Or maybe it is…) I like to add a few drops (or shots) of Peppermint Schnapps to hot chocolate for an immediate warm-up. Make the cocoa with milk if you like it creamier.

Cinnamon Vanilla Cream:

One day my love of Starbucks and alcohol collided, and this drink was born. I just poured some Cinnamon Schnapps into my Vanilla Crème, and – voilà – an innocuous looking brew. Yes, I did keep it all in the Starbucks container. You can make your own Vanilla crème by warming up milk, adding a drop or two of vanilla extract, sugar to taste, and topping it off with whipped cream.

Hot (Spiked) Apple Cider:

First, you need to find some alcoholic apple cider. It’s probably somewhere between the beer and wine sections. Two bottles is a good amount to start with. On the stove, get it simmering with two cinnamon sticks, a tablespoon of cloves, a little bit of sugar and some nutmeg. What really makes it piping hot though, is the addition of either rum or apple brandy. Be generous, ladies – the apple cider has lost most of its alcoholic content in the heating process.

Hot Spiced Wine:

Hot spiced wine is like Sangria, only warm. With cinnamon and cloves. You start by boiling about a ½ cup of sugar in a ½ cup of water (for a 2 bottle recipe). Once the sugar is dissolved into the water, add the wine and spices. When you feel that the mixture has sufficiently blended, turn off the heat and add orange and lemon slices and either rum or brandy to taste. Vodka works too, and you can get creative with the fruit you choose to put in. It is best if you make it an hour or so before you serve it.

For a more sophisticated cocktail try the Blushing Reindeer, or any one of these being made at the hippest New York bars. Personally, if I’m the one making the drinks, I shouldn’t have to work to get drunk. I leave the creative mixology to the bartenders.

Any of your own favorite recipes that you want to share?

[Always drink responsibly. Photo courtesy of countryliving.com]

We are officially in the dead of winter. Our hands are dry and cracking, we’ve worn our Uggs for 48 days straight, the cold air is seeping through our windows and the cracks in our doors, and we would rather stay home and watch a movie than go out. It’s bad.

Unfortch, it’s not even close to being over. Hey now; don’t shoot the messenger! I didn’t create the seasons.

It takes a lot of will power and positive thinking to get through the next 6-ish weeks of winter (or longer if you live in the midwest), so we thought we’d remind you of all the wonderful things this awful season has to bring. Surviving winter is all about seeing the glass as half full and not as completely frozen. And stuck to your hand.

So, here are the reasons why CollegeCandy cherishes these winter months. What are your favorite things about winter?

Laura – St. Johns: Winter clothes — I love wearing cute coats, scarfs, and hats to stay warm.

Brithny – Duke University: I love winter because ’tis the season for *SNOW*!!! Snow balls… snow men… snow slushies… just not the yellow ones, of course.

Leah – Ryerson University: It’s hard to say since I live somewhere where winter takes up the majority of the year, but skating, wooly scarfs and hot chocolate top the list!

Lauren – University of Michigan: The bulky clothes that cover all that weight I gained (to stay warm, of course).

Mazuba – Westchester Community College: Getting to go ice-skating on the lake at Bryant Park.

Amanda – Wagner: Winter makes me nostalgic for sledding and hot cocoa with extra marshmallows. Every time it snows I contemplate breaking out the  mittens and telling my neighbor to meet me at the top of the hill.

Julia – UC Berkeley: A chance to wear the expensive jackets and sweaters that I won’t get to wear for the rest of the year.

Noa – CU Boulder: An excuse to order delivery for every meal. Oh, and the skiing!

S.E. – Fordham: The excuse it gives to cuddle with a cute boy in my bed.

Thu – USC: Not having to sit uncomfortably in class, drenched in sweat, and wondering if anyone notices my sweat stains. Or sitting next to someone with major ones. Eww.

Erica – Kent State: As much as I hate the cold, I love, love, love snow days!

Marissa – High School Senior: When it ends. The cold, the short days, the unbearable work load…I loathe the winter doldrums.

Elisabeth – UA Huntsville: Wearing super cute sweaters and hoping for snow.  It makes me feel like a kid again.

Carly – Grinnell: Two words: hot chocolate.

Alex – Lakehead University: Getting cozy. Bundling up in blankets inside or in cute jackets and scarves outside

Sara – NYU: Boots + Kneesocks = 4Ever

Kelly – UMass: Snow days off from work where I can catch up on The Wire

Maddie – Tufts: I love that winter gives you an excuse to wear long scarves all the time. They cover your torso and totally take the pressure out of finding a cute shirt to wear!

K – GWU: People are less likely to judge me for my obscene oatmeal obsession.