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