Colder Than A Bald Penguin

Winter is finally starting to settle in! I am much more excited about the cold air than many people, even though the snow hasn't quite taken over our town yet. I find it much easier to be optimistic about a decent skieason when I'm not able to wear short sleeves in December though, so this last week has been quite nice.

I always find it difficult to find things to do once it gets colder. The mountains provide plenty of activities during the warm months, but unless you're skiing there aren't too many options when it's below negative freezing. Here are a few things we've been occupying ourselves with these past few cold days.

* Video games. We're guys, what do you expect? When you have some down time, shooting aliens or kicking around a soccer ball (read "pushing buttons") is a great time waster without having to face the frigid air.

* Jigsaw puzzles. Another great way to spend free time, if you have the patience. Fortunately my roommate and I both enjoy them, despite our general lack of any notable attention span. While some people may find them frustrating, for me it's been a wonderful means of keeping stress down as exams approach.

* Bringing Christmas to the home. My sister was kind enough to find a tree proportional to our house, and it has been a great reminder of the approaching celebration of Christ's birth. Not only that, it compliments our always-present Christmas lights around the room and the smell is always an excellent addition to any home. Of course we had to decorate it appropriately!

How do you keep busy when it's too cold to go out?