“It’s Tiiiiiiiimeeee!!!” – Spoken by the infamous Queen of Christmas, Mariah Carey

It’s the most wonderful time of the year… Winter! The season when all my days are spent with hot cocoa in my hand, cuddled up in pajamas, looking out the window to see kids playing in the snow. My family always gathers around the fireplace, bundled up to watch a Hallmark movie. Wrong! (That was funny, right? Thanks guys.) I live in California, where the coldest weather we get just ends up in Snapchat stories about how it’s hailing. Regardless, winter holds a special place in my heart.

Everyone I know seems to hate winter. Obviously, I understand their complaints – how it gets dark at 5:00 p.m, how they wake up freezing, and how they can’t tan in the sun. But for me? Everything else makes up for it. I’m not a fan of the uncomfortable summer heat spikes, but during the winter, I can just pile on the sweaters, and my problem is solved. However, ice-skating is off my list. The only thing I get out of that experience is bruises.

Winter in California might not have real snow, but the fake snow made out of soap at Americana and the Grove works too…I guess. And let’s not forget the magic of Disneyland and Universal Studios during the winter. Seeing the Disneyland Christmas parade for the first time was a magical experience as a kid, and remembering it gives me holiday nostalgia.

Speaking of nostalgia, winter has been my season. As a kid, my favorite feeling was the comfort of coming home late at night, wondering how Santa was able to sneak into our house to leave presents. I almost use this holiday season as an excuse to rewind to my childhood to get that warm feeling of excitement and happiness back. My family has endless stacks of videos of every occasion recorded on cassettes in our closet. I used to watch them over and over again, reliving the New Year’s Eve nights of my childhood. Even as a kid, my outfits were always on point in those videos.

And of course, I had to mention the fashion: scarves the size of blankets, long coats, boots, sweaters, and all the other items I can’t always wear in L.A. It’s December and it’s supposed to be almost 80 degrees this weekend, so sometimes it feels like I’m stuck in summer. Despite being restricted by the weather, I will continue to wear my fluffy socks, Uggs, and sweaters that leave me drenched in sweat. Not to mention, I LOVE seeing the extravagant winter outfits online, in stores, and on the runway. 

Winter also means shopping for Christmas decorations, or more specifically, my mom and I trying to stop ourselves from buying more decorations we don’t have space for. But when we walk into stores, we simply cannot resist. This is the time of year when everything is decorated with warm, twinkling lights, and the night is as bright as ever. Even the palm trees are fully covered in decorations – that was so “L.A.” of me. I’m also a huge music lover and adore that there is always jazzy, classic music playing on speakers to set the mood. I’ve included a short playlist of my winter favorites above for anyone who’s interested. With the red bows and smell of cinnamon candles, which I oddly only enjoy during this season, I feel both comforted, in the holiday spirit, and in the mood to shop. I can’t lie – the marketing for brands during winter really gets me.

But my favorite part every year? Decorating the house with my mom. It can be stressful, messy, and tiring, but it’s always worth it when we transform our living room into a fantasy land, with the smell of the fresh Christmas tree that adds to the nostalgic atmosphere. Every year during December, we come together to watch all the classic movies I will never get tired of: The Polar Express (I used to wish I was one of the kids on that train), The Santa Clause franchise, A Christmas Carol, and one of my favorites, Barbie in a Christmas Carol. And I can’t forget to mention the annual gingerbread houses I decorate with my little cousin. They might taste disgusting, but at least they look good (No, they don’t). Contrary to those gingerbread houses, the food on New Year’s Eve gets devoured.  I wait all month for the 31st, when the entire family gathers at one house to have a night full of dancing, conversation, and laughter, all while the smell of our traditional Armenian food fills the living room. We all wait all day to eat, knowing that the amount of food we will have at dinner that night can last us the next month. It honestly cannot compare to anything else.

This season screams ballet to me. I’m almost done ranting, but I just had to share one of my biggest dreams: spending the winter in London to watch The Nutcracker ballet at the Royal Opera House. I remember passing by it when I visited in 2019, and that moment stuck with me. To this day, I find myself imagining getting dressed up, stepping into the beautiful venue, and being swept away by the ballet. The way the dancers float across the stage, the intricate costumes, and the timeless beauty of the story itself feels like stepping into another world. Or at least, that’s how I imagine it would feel. As a dancer myself, watching other performances feels like an entirely different experience, and I can’t imagine anything more captivating than that.

So, maybe I don’t have snow falling outside my window or experience the true winter chill like others, but winter will always be the season I adore. The magic, the nostalgia, the fashion – I’m here for it all. Winter, you’re my forever favorite.