Brian, one of the reasons I carry a shovel is just because I really like it. I like having it and like using it. Sounds silly, but that is really the reason. I feel like having it makes doing a few things easier and I know I could use a snowshoe or ski to accomplish some the same tasks, but I learned long ago when I used to do real work that having the right tool (not for camping necessarily) makes work a lot easier.

Without it, I probably wouldn't have gone to the trouble to dig out my kitchen area like I did, but when I can say "hey, I brought a shovel, what can I do with it?" that's an incentive to spend some time doing stuff to make the campsite a bit more comfortable.

If you look closely, you can see the footwell I dug in front of my tent in the vestibule. In the first picture, a water bottle and piece of blue pad are in it. In the second, I put the blue pad down and could sit and stretch my legs like sitting in a chair. Learned that on my first winter trip from Jim Shaw and it makes putting on boots and cooking way more comfortable than crouching down or just sitting cross-legged on a flat surface.

Kind of like having the right computer program-I spent a bunch of dough to get Adobe Acrobat and I can do some seemingly simple things with it I can't do with Word or Word Perfect.

All of the other suggestions people have made make sense as well under the right circumstances and since many of the posters have far more experience than me, I am no position to argue that my way is the "best."