Around here we say that you have to endure the winters in order to fully enjoy the summers.
We live in a very temperate area, just west of the mountains, and for eight or nine months a year we have weather that is simply amazing.
Low humidity, temps in the 60s and 70s, it’s a joy. But to get the good stuff, you have to pay a price, and in this case the price is a stunningly cold and brutal winter. Sleet and hail turns to ice and snow, and we are guaranteed to get snowed in at least once every year, maybe more. In conditions like this, heating takes on a whole new level of importance. I know a lot of people who think “oh, if the heater dies then we will have to get out the extra blankets and snuggle!” Around here, without a heater you better have a roaring fire, or you may freeze solid before the sun rises. I wasn’t kidding about getting snowed in, and when that happens you can kiss your central HVAC system goodbye. Every house around here has a large central fireplace, because traditionally speaking that has been the most reliable form of heating for local residents. Of course I also have space heaters, and the central system, but on top of all that we keep the fireplace clean and ready to use at a moment’s notice. We love to light the fireplace throughout the year, because it’s awesome, but there are a couple times a year when the fireplace stands between life and death.