The first snow of the year was always a big deal. I remember being in elementary school on the playground when it first happened one year.

My world immediately seemed festive, like the holidays were near. I used to love Christmas — the food, the presents, the decorations, all of it.

I used to love playing in the snow, running around in snow pants that consumed me because I was so small. I used to love making snowmen and ice skating nearby. And honestly — having no siblings — a lot of times this was with my parents.

I loved sledding down a huge hill in my backyard, which seems to have gotten smaller as I've gotten older. I loved holiday movies and hot chocolate. I loved the feeling of coming inside after a long day of being outside, and finally being cozy.

I often write about how my carefree childhood self compares to the me of today, who is often stressed out, and it's the honest truth. I'm not nearly as excitable as I was when I was younger and I wish this wasn't the case.

From high school, most of my winter memories consist of scraping the ice off of cars and extremely slow drives to school. In college — even though I love my campus in the snow — my days consist of walking to and from class, ankle-deep, in slush. My face, hair, and hands freeze, and oftentimes I have to make an effort not to slip.

I often forget the beautiful snowglobe-like qualities that encircle me, because I am simply too cold and stressed out.

Though I probably sound incredibly pessimistic, this isn't entirely the case. I enjoy the snow. As I mentioned, the view of my campus is beautiful and walking in the snow, I find, can actually be rather uplifting — as cold as it is.

What's changed is that even though I should make more time for myself to appreciate nature and enjoy the seasons — as this is an issue in the summer too, when I should probably spend more time outdoors enjoying the heat — I usually choose to stay inside. Playing in the snow doesn't seem as fun when I realize I have a million things to do afterward.

In a way it's about enjoying the moment — I need to do that more, and arguably, most college students are in the same boat.

But largely it's about taking the time to appreciate nature, the outdoors that is constantly in flux and that I so often forget about, outside of my Environment classes.

It's about actually embracing the cold and snow, even when it's physically uncomfortable to be outside, rather than just admiring and appreciating from afar.

Alas, it's a nod to the little things in life. It's about being fortunate enough to have safe places in which to run around — just like a kid on the playground — and enjoy the season.

It's about taking a break from finals (woo!) and having a snowball fight spontaneously somewhere nearby.