After the snowfall over the holiday weekend, winter has officially arrived in Minnesota, bringing us icy roads and lots of snow.

Winter is not always a favorite. The cold temperatures make walking from your warm house to your cold car the worst part of your day, along with waddling like a penguin across the sidewalk.

However, as I've gotten older, I've decided that winter is the perfect season because you're able to get the best of both worlds. You’re able to stay inside and be under a blanket without overheating, and you can go outside to see how different the world looks when it's covered in snow and engage in fun activities.

One indoor activity you can do is baking. Growing up, I baked either cookies or brownies with my grandma or my mother, depending on the house I was at at the time. Baking is always something I love doing during the winter because not only does it make the house warmer, but it also makes for nice warm little desserts to go with the hot chocolate we would make or buy.

Another great activity you can do indoors is have a movie marathon of all the cheesy Christmas movies and Christmas episodes of your favorite shows. I know at my house, once the temperature starts to drop and we begin to hang up all the decorations, the Hallmark channel is on at my house and various movies play throughout the day.

This is also great to do with your friends, as you can do a little winter equivalent of friendsgiving with baked goods or throw a potluck while watching a Christmas or any winter holiday movie.

For those who like to go outside regardless of the temperature, there are various activities that you can do that are perfect for the winter season. As I've mentioned earlier, there's something beautiful about seeing the world covered in snow, especially if you're on campus when everyone goes home for the break, and there's a ton of snow, it looks completely different than with people here.

The same goes for other locations that aren't on campus; if you go down a few of the nearby parks or trails, it almost feels like you're being transported to a winter wonderland. This is great if you love taking photos because you can get some really beautiful pictures of the snowy landscapes.

Another thing that makes Winter perfect for some is the Polar Plunge. For those who are unaware and don't know what this is, the Polar Plunge is a series of events where participants take a quick icy dip in a lake to raise money for the Special Olympics Minnesota. While I can handle the cold well enough, this is the one winter activity that I personally don't do because I know I would freeze.

Lastly, winter is the perfect season because of all the various winter markets and the Winter Carnival that comes through. During the winter break, one of the bigger holidays for those who celebrate it is Christmas. While the winter markets aren't specifically geared for Christmas shopping, you can get some of the most beautiful handmade items for those you plan on buying gifts for.

There’s also the Winter Carnival, which is not only the oldest Winter Carnival in the US, but is also one of the big events in St. Paul that I've gone to every year since I was little. While the event doesn't happen until January, it is still one of my favorite winter activities because of the amazing ice sculptures that they showcase.

Regardless of how you choose to spend your time during this winter season, I hope that everyone at least tries to go outside and embrace winter in some capacity, but also stay warm, as this is when a lot of people tend to get sick. There's something about the winter season that has this sense of beauty to it that a lot of us take for granted, and I hope that if you aren't able to see that this winter season, you try to find that beauty in the next winter season and beyond.