By ZENOBIA TAMBOLY, junior

I hear all my frozen brethren who greet this bone-chilling season with a less-than-enthusiastic welcome—and I don’t blame them. How can one possibly be joyful about something that brings too much snow, days with fewer hours of sunshine, and an unmanageable amount of icy hassles? But before you hastily jump onto the next plane to a warm, tropical beach—accompanied by a fruit drink with a tiny umbrella—I must remind you that winter is in fact the most wonderful time of the year. The positives of such a frigid season are always enough to thaw our cold hearts.

What does not melt as easily, however, is the actual ice on the roads which deters us from going outside and enjoying the outdoors.  But fear not, because if there’s one thing I learned from the Sochi Winter Olympics, it’s that our real appreciation for winter stems from our value of athletics. Not only do many of us enjoy participating in (or more accurately, watching) seasonal activities, but we also often partake in the calorie-burning exercise of shivering at our bus stops. You can also increase your exercise in other shapes and forms (such as by stealing your friend’s gloves and then running from said friend to increase your aerobic routine). Not only will you have a great workout, but you will also couple it with the perfect winter diet, which includes inhaling holiday cookies and chocolates, and then washing everything down with the peppermint lattes that have been selling since November (the unofficial start of the season). Be sure to thank winter for your new health kick.

But you might find yourself thinking, “Why bother going outside in the tundra-like conditions when I can stay indoors, glued to Netflix and hibernating until the season ends?” I’ll admit that when describing the winter season of Edison, New Jersey, saying that it gets “a bit chilly” out here is an extreme understatement. We are, after all, quick to react if any southerners dare to cross our path and complain of their “cold” winters. We often retaliate with fiery (and lengthy) speeches with plenty of examples about how it was so cold one day that the road to the school parking lot doubled as an ice rink. It is because of our abominable winters that we have thick skin and even thicker jackets (which we purchased at discounted prices due to our store savvy skills and holiday sale radar).

Although we sometimes take winter for granted, the truth remains that we can’t live without it. Admit it; you’re already starting to miss those sappy Christmas specials on television and holiday songs on the radio. And let’s be honest: winter obviously has the best holidays (presents galore), and I highly doubt you can channel your inner dragon in the middle of summer by simply exhaling a steamy breath. You can love it, you can hate it, you can reminisce about the days when we lived in a 90 degree climate and the only ice you saw was in a cup (or more likely, a bucket). But inevitably, we must deal with the fact that winter is here, weather you like it or not.