9 reasons to be glad that Lebanon's summer is ending

It's the end of October, and we're still walking around in shorts, dresses and going to the beach. It's like one big Global Warming celebration party (not good).

Let me be the first to say, I'm not a fan of cold weather – I'd much rather prefer not freezing – but even I want cold weather right now.

There are so many things that can only be done during fall/winter, not to mention so many things that are more enjoyable during this time! So, I've got my blankets and my good books, where is my cold weather?!

Here are a few more reasons we need cold weather back right now:

There's nothing better than warming your hands and your soul on a hot beverage.

From delicious sahlab with kaak drinks in the middle of the night to drinking more coffees and teas, there's no season that will do you better than winter.

Not to mention having matté with your relatives, chatting and warming yourselves up, or brewing a fresh pot of healthy and yummy yansoon.

So, I might be a bit of a pyromaniac, but curling around a bonfire while camping, making s'mores (marshmallows really are a staple in winter, huh?), and sharing stories is really a great way to spend a winter night. Lebanon has a lot of camping sites ( here's one ), and we do go camping during the other seasons, but it's not a full experience until you've lit a bonfire.

Who doesn't love to drink turkish coffee and sit around a soobya (heater) while in the day'a, where the cold could be bone-chillng, but you're covered from head to toe in heavy shawls? OK, I can think of a few people who think of this as a special place in hell, but I really think they're just lacking in imagination.

Hearing the kastana (chestnuts) popping on the fire, and cooking sweet potatoes on the oven = bliss.

Also, you get a peak at your future through turkish coffee residue readings from the neighbors.

Call your friends over, get pizzas and make a pillow fort! No one will say no to movie nights on a rainy day, and you can binge on TV series guilt-free. Happiness is...a cozy night in aka kankaneh.

P.S. if you need to listen to rainy sounds right now, you can use this rain generator.

Walking around in lush, green areas, like the Bekaa Valley, you get to hear the crinkling of leaves under your boots. Whenever you see a little boy stomp in a puddle, and hear his mom reprimand him and say "khalas ba'a!" and remember your own young days... just those few things make winter a happier season.

End of summer means the mountains first get a little greener, because the rain cleans them up. Fall is the perfect time for a hike. Then, in winter, they become snow-capped. Isn't it great to look out your window and see mountains filled with so much snow that you can't tell the where they stop and the clouds start?

So, apparently, according to Lebanese moms, soof is the only fool-proof way to beat the cold. How can something so itchy, give you so much comfort and warmth?

Don't have someone to cuddle with this year? Your clothes are here for you.

Sinking your cold feet in hot water at the end of a long, cold day. Is there anything better than that feeling? Another thing you can't do in summer? Take a long, hot, bubble bath and just let your worries float away.

Not only are our soups hearty and delicious, but they're also very nutritious. Win-win? Yes, I believe so. Other than Lebanese-styled soups (we pretty much all have a versions of vegetable soups and chicken soups), we have a myriad of lentil soups, such as aadas bi hamod and red-lentil soup.