Here in the Northeast Kingdom, we must all admit that we are in the depth of winter. There is talk of ice shanties at the country store, and the "warm" mittens have not only been unearthed but used. Our collective vanity has gone by the wayside, as we put on clunker boots to keep toes toasty warm and wrap soft scarves around our naked necks. I am not proud of the fact that I, honestly, spent more time scraping ice off my windshield this morning than I did on my hair.

There is a stillness and wonder in the winter that I find compelling. A friend and I spent a few minutes on Friday morning trying to describe to each other how beautiful the trees looked in the brilliant sun. It was if a dusting of powdered sugar had been sprinkled upon the trees from above. I didn’t even bother searching for my camera in my bookbag, as the lens could never have captured the spectacular image before me, miles of ice-covered trees reflecting the warm rays of winter on their bare branches.

This time of year, as the temperatures dip ever lower, I hear talk of friends heading south for vacations, but I would rather be here than any place in the world. Despite the winter chill, there is a genuine warmth in the people in this region, as we all work together to get through the next few frosty months.

In such times, there is an extra nod of recognition among pals in the grocery store. You may find a steaming cup of coffee placed in your hands by a chum at a hockey game. On the rare occasion, I have even participated in a friendly snowball fight after a storm, well aware of the fact that I can’t hit my moving target, much less the broad side of a barn.

Many of our residents and visitors take to the outdoors for entertainment, descending the challenging trails of Burke, gliding along the snow on cross-country skis at the Highland Lodge, snowshoeing in nearby pastures or buzzing along the hidden highway in snowmobiles.

Others of us have ventured indoors, sweating out intervals at the Old Mill, sipping on a hearty merlot at Elements Food & Spirit, or picking out a hefty book to read at either Green Mountain or the Boxcar & Caboose bookstores. I would recommend taking in a planetarium show, as I did a couple months ago. Our own Mark Breen does a spectacular job in describing the mystery and splendor of a night sky.

The next time you hear someone bemoaning the fact that there is little to do in this region during this winter stretch, you send them right to the chamber. There is everything in the world to do here in our own little corner of the world, and the chamber would be glad to offer some adventures to discover.