I have a confession I never thought I’d make: I’m falling in love with winter.

We’re only two weeks into January, and already I feel a few Holy Shit Moments coming on. So far I’ve had the pleasure and privilege of traveling up to the arctic, taking a dog sled from the airport to the ice hotel, spending the night in an artist’s suite, and snowmobiling through the white-out wilderness.

But it’s not just about shelling out cash for excursions and novelty hotels — it’s about the absolutely gorgeous landscape. I can’t remember the last time I felt so refreshed. It’s 12 degrees Fahrenheit and there’s a few feet of snow on the ground, the pine trees drenched in the dry snow. That’s the thing, the snow and air being so dry — it creates a rejuvenating atmosphere where each deep breath brings in air so clean and cold that it makes you exaggerate each one, concentrating completely on the crisp conditions.

The lighting up here is insane as well. The days are real short — the sun rises between eight and nine and begins to set around one — but twilight lasts about two hours and the sunsets are, while non-traditional, some of the most beautiful displays of light and clarity that I’ve ever seen.

I have a lot to tell you and even more to show you, but obviously I’m on the run. Stay tuned. I spent all of Tuesday exploring Stockholm, and tomorrow I’ll fly back to Sweden’s capital for one more day and a night on the town before flying back to the States on Saturday.

Here are a few photos to hold you over, and you can see more that I’ve posted on Facebook and Twitter.