10 Reasons To Love a "Brown" Holiday Season

Is it me or is "I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas" playing on repeat on every radio station? The DJ's in Upstate NY have really got to get a bit more creative this year! They might better play "You Can't Always Get What You Want"! The reality is it's not looking good for a Holiday Vacation filled with the white stuff. But you know what? While a snow-free town square might be a little less picturesque than all of us would like, there are some real upsides to the balmy December weather we're experiencing.

My Top 10 Reasons A Brown December Is Awesome! 

#10. Barefoot Holiday Lights

I love white lights during the holidays. My husband and I wrap several dogwood trees, giant rhododendrons, azalea bushes and a couple extra Christmas trees in white lights. At night it's really charming, even without any snow. It would be so wonderful if our home had been wired in such a way that when it comes time to go to bed and we want to shut the lights off for safety we could just flip a switch. Alas, when the house was built in the 50's no one was thinking of me and my Christmas lights. So every night at about 11:30 I go out and unplug lights from 4 different outlets all over the exterior of the house. This year instead of slipping on whatever giant pair of my husband's shoes are by the door and shivering my way through the whole thing, I go out in my bare feet and take my time, look at the stars and sniff the nighttime roses, so to speak. It's strange, but not at all unpleasant.

#9. No Mudroom Chaos

Raise your hand if mittens, boots, hats, dirt, salt, and coats mixing together in a horrifying melange in your mudroom/entryway doesn't make you just a little bit nutso. If you raised your hand, you're a far better person than I. At the moment though, my entryway is perfectly organized! A medium weight coat for each member of the family is hung on its designated hook and that's it! No boot trays, no mitten baskets, just heart warming minimalism. Yes! Now THAT gets me in the Holiday spirit.

#8. Low Heating Bills

Our house is fairly well insulated and I haven't turned on the heat in weeks. We've even had to open the windows at times! It's a nice little reprieve. 

#7. Your Furry Friends' Paws are Still Looking Good

Snow, ice and salt (even the pet-friendly kind) can be rough on our doggy and kitty's feet. My cats' paws are still looking nice and healthy. They haven't yet begun to look out the window at the outdoors with great disdain. Instead, they're still venturing out and keeping watch over the yard.

#6. No Shoveling/Snowblowing

I don't think I need to elaborate on this one.

#5. Outdoor Options

We all love outdoor winter sports. The good news is that our local ski mountains are starting to make snow and the indoor and covered ice rinks are in operation. While there are a couple of options like cross country skiing and snowshoeing that aren't available at the moment, there's a really great trade-off. You can still safely bike, hike, boat and do just about everything else you might do in the spring and fall. If you have time off in the coming weeks get some hiking in. Trails will be uncrowded and you'll get completely different views than you would any other time of year. Just take into account that it will become chillier as you ascend and there may be some ice at the higher elevations.

#4. Outdoor Playtime For Kids 

I know, I know, kids love snow. But lots of the time they don't stay out in it all that long! You spend half an hour loading them into their snowsuits and then a half an hour later they're back, turning your mudroom/entry into a chaotic soggy mess and looking for new entertainment. It's been so balmy lately that my daughter and her friends have been playing outside for hours and hours. This has given me way more time for Holiday prep than usual (I even crafted a pretty snazzy wreath!) and the kids are in no danger of going stir crazy.

#3. You're Free To Leave!

We all love spending time with family over the Holidays. But sometimes you venture out to visit relatives for a day or two and end up having to stay a couple extra never-ending days because of a snow or ice storm. There's something to be said for being able to stick to your carefully crafted schedule. One overnight with Aunt Mildred is really just right.

# 2. You Don't Have The Winter, Selling Your Real Estate Blues! 

This is after all a Real Estate Blog, so of course I'm going to talk Real Estate. It will likely surprise you to hear that for the past three years there have been just as many people searching for Real Estate on our website in January as there were in May (which is, by the way, considered to be one of the hottest months for Real Estate buyers in our area). JUST AS MANY PEOPLE LOOKING! And guess what? In January there are fewer listings for those buyers to look at because so many people assume no one's looking this time of year. Also, many of the listings that are on the market in January will have been there for a while. So if you want to sell in 2016 - get your house on the market now! You'll be the new, hot listing. There's no snow getting in the way of getting a little spruce-up done, so what's stopping you?

# 1. You Don't Have The Winter, Buying Real Estate Blues! 

If you're one of those buyers who's looking there's an advantage to all this brown too. You can see everything the property has to offer. Snow is pretty, but it covers up landscaping, foundations, pools, etc, etc. If you have the imagination to envision what a home will look like when all this brown turns to green, this is just as good a time for you to look as any other!

Well, I'm off to enjoy the awesome weather. Time to put on a nice fall sweater and stack some wood. It has to snow some time!

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