Season's First Snow

Andrew and Grammy made the world's smallest snowman Saturday morning.

Wait, I forgot.  It was a snowWOMAN, Andrew said.  "Look, Mommy, you can tell because she has boobs."

Then home for sledding, snowball fights, and cold weather fun.

As an adult, I can take the snow or leave it.  The best things for me about snow are the school cancellations and delays.  But I do remember the utter joy I felt as a child playing in the snow.  The pure fun that we had, in spite of freezing our tails off. 

I remember playing until we were too cold and wet to move, then going inside, peeling off our wet snow-caked clothes, and having hot chocolate.  The house that I grew up in had really old-fashioned radiators in every room, and we would lay our scarves and gloves on the radiators to dry out so they'd be ready again later.  And then, my feet and legs would start to thaw out, and they'd be pink, cold, and itchy.  But it would be worth it, and we'd do it all again the next day. 

Watching Andrew play in the snow these last few days has brought back the fascination of snow--it isn't just about speeding down the hills and building pathetic-looking snow creatures.  It's the little things, too...the taste and sensation of catching snowflakes on your tongue...packing the snow together into a ball and having it stick...falling down and expecting it to hurt, but being cushioned by the snow.  It's all of those things.

Snow also means stripping off the wet clothes by the door so the snow doesn't get traipsed through the house, and leaving a puddle in the kitchen floor that Mom will step in and fuss about later.  It's about coaxing the little marshmallows from the bottom of the mug after all but the dregs of hot chocolate are gone.  It's about the disappointment as the snow melts and the grass and mud start to emerge from their white blanket.  And it's about the anticipation of future snowfall and the excitement of watching it fall from the sky when it finally arrives.

So, while I'm a warm weather gal and would much rather be spending December in a tropical paradise, for my son, whose complete joy on these snowy days is hard to match, I'll suck it up.  I'll even hope for a lot of snow this winter, knowing that snow days probably won't involve me on the couch with a good book and a blanket.  The look on his face will be worth it.