This week is my favorite week of the year. It’s officially winter, the Christmas season is in full swing, the kids are out of school, and my days are different. The best part too is that this is true for most everyone. To celebrate I’d like to share my list of 175 simple wintertime pleasures. If you can’t get in the spirit of the holiday season, or if you’re looking too far ahead to 2012, take some time to sit and reflect on this list. Maybe you might want to even work on your own list. Every year when I read this it makes me smile. I hope you enjoy it.

1. A blank page
2. A clean bill of health
3. A dad and son headed out to run errands
4. A drive through Kentucky back roads
5. A dusting of snow that won’t melt
6. A few priorities for the week
7. A fresh notebook
8. A freshly bathed dog
9. A freshly vacuumed rug
10. A good tear jerker
11. A hard day’s work
12. A hilarious movie
13. A hot shower
14. A job well done
15. A juicy homemade burger
16. A Kroger card for a school family in need
17. A Midnight train to Georgia
18. A new pen
19. A new recipe
20. A new white shirt
21. A nice, wide, smile
22. A note from a friend
23. A photograph that catches a sideways glance
24. A pizza party
25. A pleasant-scented candle
26. A quiet house on Christmas eve
27. A roaring fire in the fireplace
28. A sleeping child
29. A warm pair of socks
30. A young boy with a new watch
31. Accomplishing a task long overdue
32. Aged Gouda Cheese
33. An a ha moment
34. An Aeropress coffee maker
35. An awake child
36. An emergency fund
37. An emphatic yes or no from a child
38. An evening wine and cheese party
39. An organized book bag
40. An unexpected hug
41. Another writer’s perspective
42. Automatic coffee pots
43. Baking Spritz cookies
44. Baking while snow falls
45. Bing and David singing “Little Drummer Boy”
46. Bourbon-barrel ale
47. Ceramic Santas my Aunt Eileen painted
48. Chap Stick
49. Checking something off my list
50. Chili Con Carne
51. Christmas spirit candles
52. Clementine tangerines
53. Constant Comment tea
54. Dave Brubeck
55. Dinner with my sisters and my mother
56. Doing a little bit at a time
57. Dreams
58. Driving the back roads
59. Dusted tabletops
60. Eighty’s music
61. Energy
62. Fingerprint-less kitchen cabinets
63. Freedom to live with intention
64. Fresh Christmas tree
65. Fresh laundry
66. Fresh smelling shower gel
67. Fresh, whole ingredients
68. Frost on the rooftops
69. Getting up early
70. Good health
71. Gratitude and humility
72. Hair falling softly around my daughters face
73. Hand lotion
74. Happy school-aged and high-school-aged kids
75. Having a plan
76. Having the pots and pans cleaned up before dinner is ready
77. Hearing a first grader read
78. Honey bell oranges
79. Hot chai tea with milk and a dash of sugar
80. Hot green tea to warm my hands
81. Hot tea and shortbread
82. Hot, hot water to wash dishes
83. Ice on the trees
84. King Rat nutcracker
85. Knowing I can accomplish a task
86. Krohn Conservatory Winter flower show
87. Lazy mornings at home
88. Leaving a secret note for someone
89. Lentil soup in the slow cooker
90. Less is more
91. Limestone walls in Central Kentucky
92. Lip balm
93. Listening to a good radio interview
94. Listening to children in the kitchen with their father
95. Listening to children play the piano
96. Listening to my kids jump out of a dark place to scare their siblings
97. Living in the present so as not to regret the past nor fear the future
98. Love and compassion
99. Making plans for a summer vacation
100. Morning quiet time
101. Music filling the air
102. Music in the house
103. Music on the mp3
104. New stamp designs
105. Not wanting more
106. Old Saturday Night Live reruns
107. Oven-fries dusted with fine sea salt
108. Packing delicate Christmas ornaments in tissue paper
109. Peppery red wine
110. Planning home-cooked meals before the5:00 what’s-for-dinner emergency
111. Playing pick-up-sticks
112. Potstickers and sauce
113. Powdered sugar dusted doughnuts
114. Putting up the Christmas tree
115. Reading a book that makes me ponder
116. Reading cookbook manuscripts
117. Readingin the morning
118. Reruns of Everybody Loves Raymond
119. Roasting a leg of lamb with mustard, garlic and herbs
120. Routine
121. Shopping for the perfect gift
122. Silent time to pray
123. Snow boots
124. Snow days
125. Snow falling gently
126. Snuggling on the couch and watching a movie
127. Soft Pashmina scarf
128. Soft, clean hair
129. Sour Cream Coffee Cake
130. Spicy red wine and lamb chops
131. Sports “letter” jackets
132. Staycations
133. Staying up late
134. Stepping out for a breath of fresh air
135. Stockings hung by the chimney with care
136. Stone coasters
137. Sun shining through the snow
138. Sunday afternoons
139. Surprise gifts
140. Taking down the Christmas tree
141. Taking the kids out to the local coffee house for a treat
142. The best male cook I know
143. The Boss
144. The first cup of coffee in the morning
145. The longest night of the year
146. The love from a dog
147. The quiet of a snowfall
148. The realization I have everything I need
149. The realization there’s very little I want
150. The smell of a fresh Christmas tree
151. The smell of fresh baked ginger cookies
152. The sounds of children sledding
153. The way someone who loves you folds the laundry
154. The week between Christmas and New Year’s Day
155. The writing of Thomas Merton
156. Thinking about a new book to read
157. Time to read
158. Time to write
159. Twinkling white lights
160. Vacuumed corners
161. Vaseline on chapped lips
162. Visiting with high school friends
163. Waking up without the alarm
164. Washing dishes while looking out the window
165. Watching a movie as a family
166. Watching children build Legos
167. Watching the kids shake the wrap gifts under the tree
168. Watching a child stir a pot of soup
169. When enough is enough
170. Whole-grain toast and marmalade
171. Winter clothing sales
172. Wrapped gifts for someone in need
173. Writing cookbook proposals
174. Writing letters and cards
175. Writing lists of favorite things