The Simple Pleasures of a Snowfall

I have been waiting for this day all winter – it finally snowed! We have had an uncharacteristically snowless winter in Massachusetts. Usually by now I am ready to throw my shovel at something. This year has been different, and not just because I haven’t used a shovel even once. This year, Addison is big enough to play in the snow!

When we got home today, there were already 2 inches blanketing the yard, and big, fluffy flakes falling from the sky. Addie looked at the snow quizzically, and asked, “dat?” I explained to her that it was snow, and she proceeded to gingerly touch the covered branches of the bushes in our front yard. I wasn’t sure how she’d react, but when she broke out in a huge grin, I knew she was a true New Englander despite her southern roots!

We went inside to put on our snow clothing, and then spent the next half hour outside playing in the snow. Addie tried crawling in it, eating it, throwing it, walking in it, running in it, and smacking it off the trees.

I pulled her around in her little sled, and each time she said, “gain?,” I pulled her some more, until the yard was covered in tracks. I taught her how to bend her head back and catch the snowflakes on her tongue. I am not sure who had more fun!

I am looking forward to more fun times playing in the snow with Addison – teaching her how to make snowballs, snow forts, snowmen, and snow angels. Some of my fondest memories of childhood are of sledding down hills at the local golf club, building snow forts in my backyard, and having neighborhood snowball fights.

The beauty of snow is that it’s one of the simplest pleasures – all you need to enjoy a good snowfall is warm clothing and a little imagination.