As a child growing up in Utah, winter here is cold. My mom used to complain about the cold so much. She wanted to move to a warmer climate. Somewhere where Halloweens and Christmases are warm. I used to dream of that too. Until the day I grew up and learned to appreciate the here and the now.

I have Scandinavian blood in me and I like to think that that makes me a little more prone to winter. Not that I don’t love the summer and love some heat, I just can’t tolerate it as well as I can the cold. The Danish not only accept the cold; they celebrate it as well.

As is the natural cycle of life, light gives away to the dark just as the warmth gives away to the cold. Why not embrace things in which you cannot control?

During the winter, in my home, I try to surround myself with beauty that is not the same as the beauty of the summer. So I challenge myself to find or create in my own home the beauty that truly can be found from within. Beauty that can only be found in nature and not at the store.

Counting things in my house that give me a sense of peace and humility is a very real way for me to be in the present and to truly be happy for the smallest of things. So I made a list.

I'm happy for this branch of pine that graciously garners my wall. It looks lovely decorated with a simple white pine cone.

I'm happy for these humble yet beautiful cardboard, gold painted stars that hang in my kitchen window. They are truly beautiful and remind me that beauty can be free and from repurposed material.

I'm happy for these homemade wintry pinecones in my windowsill. They remind me that it's winter and a time to be still and content.

I'm happy for these foraged berries that are naturally drying in my kitchen window. They were foraged locally with me and my kids on a cold, Sunday evening. They were well worth the brisk walk. I was happily surprised to find stark white berries and they remind me that life is full of unexpected surprises.