Today marks the official start of winter. Time for scarfs, scraping windshields and snow days. We may have cold days ahead, but winter is not all bad. Here are 10 reasons to love winter:

1. Snow

It’s usually the first thing that comes to mind when thinking about winter. Snow, while sometimes a nuisance and often arriving at the worst possible time (just ask this New Mexico woman, who this week gave birth in a truck during a snowstorm), can be a lot of fun. Kids love it and, as long as mother nature spares us from another winter like the last, adults can even enjoy it in small doses.

2. Shorter Days That Get Longer

The winter solstice (today) marks the shortest day of the year. It can only get better from here. The days, while still short through January, will start to lengthen by mid-winter.

3. Comfort Food

Winter is the time for homemade soups, stews, roasts, chicken potpie and all of those yummy things that fall into the category of comfort food. Need some winter cooking inspiration? Foodnetwork.com has some ideas. 

4. Forgiving Clothes

Remember that bikini you dreaded fitting into back in May? Well those days are gone and won’t be back for another six months. Enjoy your cozy sweaters and bulky layers while you can.

5. Warm Drinks

Face it, hot cocoa rules and you know it. It’s winter so enjoy it while you can. Before you know it, you’ll be back to drinking margaritas by the pool. Curl up under a blanket with a good book and some hot cocoa and sit by the fire. Now how’s that for a quintessential winter moment?

6. Cold Drinks

Just because you’re freezing your butt off doesn’t mean you can’t still enjoy a cold beer. With winter comes an array of creative concoctions from breweries all over. Sam Adam’s Winter Lager is a popular favorite but there are many that deserve a try. Brewpublic.com recently published this list of “50 Must Taste Winter Beers for 2011.”

7. Hot Fires

Rewind to #5: without fires, we would have nothing to cozy up to under a warm blanket with our hot cocoa. 

8. Dogs in Sweaters

When else will you see a miniature schnauzer strutting his stuff on State Street while sporting a stylish sweater?

9. Winter Sports

Skiing, snowboarding, ice skating, snowshoeing, sledding – these are all hobbies that require winter to even exist. So bundle up, grab your gear and enjoy it!

10. Staying In

In the summer and spring, it seems we’re being pulled every which way. Pool parties, barbeques, beach trips, carnivals, fairs, etc. Unless a hurricane is coming through, you probably don’t stay in much at all in the summer. But now is your chance to stay in, relax and rejuvenate.