Freezing temperatures, sub-zero wind chill factors, face numbing cold - all excellent reasons to spend as little time outdoors as possible, right? Well, mostly right. But sometimes, a quick vitamin D fix is in order, is only to satisfy your sunshine craving. The sun does still shine, after all, even in the dead of winter.

Bundle up warmly (wrap yourself in a throw blanket if you’ve got to), put on your fleece lined boots or moccasins, hold onto a big steaming cup of something hot to drink and just take a stroll through your backyard (or your front yard, if you don’t think the neighbors will have you committed for lunacy). Notice how beautiful the sky looks overhead, a blue that you never see in the heat and haze of summer time, with wispy white clouds and remnants of jet vapor trails that seem to last for hours. Listen for the chattering of the birds and squirrels that are likely now you’re only company - probably all hoping that you’ve come out to drop some crumbs or peanuts on the ground. Your garden, which was so lovely and colorful only a few short months ago, now has a more somber, ethereal beauty, with bare limbs and the last few leaves clinging desperately to the plants.

Pretty, right? Now, you don’t want to go running back inside already, do you? The forward thinking folks have already realized that winter months don’t mean that you have to stop enjoying your outdoor space. You just have to plan differently. Shovel that snow off your deck or patio, pull out the lounge chairs, bring out a couple of warm cushions and extra throw blankets from the living room, stoke up the outdoor firepit, chiminea or set up the barbecue grill for warmth, put a crock pot of chili on a table and sit and marvel at the beauty and serenity of winter. It’s a whole different kind of enjoyment.