Good Things About The Winter in Minneapolis/St. Paul

The winter in Minneapolis/St. Paul is long and harsh, with around six months of temperatures well below freezing and plenty of snow. What do people who live in Minneapolis and St. Paul do all winter? How do residents cope? Well, some people hate the winter. And some people enjoy it. Here's a list of good things about the winter in Minneapolis and St. Paul.

1. Fresh, white, sparkly snow
2. Fireplaces
3. No mosquitoes
4. No tornadoes
5. No sunscreen
6. No yardwork
7. Hot drinks: morning coffee, hot apple cider, steaming cups of tea, hot chocolate...
8. The U.S. Pond Hockey Championships
9. Downhill skiing
10. The Winter Carnival
11. Ice hockey. Go Wild!
12. Broomball
13. Leaving groceries in the car while you run other errands and the ice cream staying frozen
14. Ice fishing
15. Ice fishing festivals - from the irreverent (the Eel Pout Festival), community minded (the Grumpy Old Men Festival), and the ones with all eyes on the prize (Fishapalooza)
16. Fashionistas: think of all the lovely coats, boots, hats and winter accessories you'll need
17. Building snowmen, snow caves and snow sculptures
18. Sledding
19. The Art Sled Rally
20. Cosmic Sledding
21. Snowboarding
22. Snowboarding downtown Minneapolis
23. Forget the expensive restaurant: it's romantic to stay in with a roaring fire on Valentine's Day
24. Frozen Minnehaha Falls
25. How good a hot bath feels after a long day in the cold
26. The smell of cold, crisp air on a sunny winter day
27. Winter food. Yummy stews, soups, chilli, and ahem... hotdish
28. Maple Syruping
29. Ice skating
30. Ice climbing
31. A guaranteed white Christmas
32. Cross country skiing
33. Cross country skiing by candlelight
34. The Art Shanty Project
35. Having lots of Minnesotan athletes to cheer on at the Winter Olympics
36. Sunsets over the snow on a clear day when the sky turns red and the snow turns blue
37. Feeling tough that you can survive this much cold

And if you thought all that winter cheer was too much, here's my list of bad things about winter in Minneapolis and St. Paul.