We have a few traditions, my brother and I, he was my first sibling and there were many years (15) before another came into our lives and so we have some pretty interesting traditions that we’ve come up with over the years. Every New Years we call each other just after midnight and throw a shoe at the wall, he calls me Mandy (surprisingly he still lives) and I call him Dougie or Dugley the Dragon, and every Winter on the first snow we run outside with no jacket – preferably barefoot – to stand in the snow and get excited about Christmas.
So since Ive moved out of the house we’ve carried on the first snow fall tradition over the phone but somehow it’s not quite as exciting. I miss some of the crazy things I used to do with my family when I lived at home but I guess now I get to carry them on in new ways.
Imagine my delight when my husband and I walked out of the movie theater last week and saw the snow. Even though it was 11:30 at night we went directly to my parents house and made everyone stand outside in the snow. Some grumpily and some very excited (yes Mom that’s for you lol) and just enjoyed it. I thought it was most important this year since my parents have an exchange student from Mexico staying with them who has never seen snow before. Jumping around, hugging, and staring up at the snowflakes falling down – I was so happy for the moment to be with my family and enjoy them for who they are and enjoy a silly tradition that marks the coming of Christmas.
I love snow – I really do – not the brown slushy stuff but the first or fresh snowfall. Ready for snowballs, forts and tobagganing and possibly a snow day – fresh snow falls were always the best part of winter. I remember one year when I was probably around 13 or 14 it was really sad because we had just started into December and their was no snow. I told my mom that I really really wanted snow and my mother being a good Christian told me to pray for it. So I did – but not by myself – at church that Sunday when the Pastor asked if anyone had any special mentions or things they wanted the congregation to pray about, I stood up and asked for everyone to pray for snow. Everyone rolled their eyes at me and kinda laughed. A week went by – still no snow! So the next Sunday I stood up and told the Pastor I wanted to pray for snow so it feels like Christmas. I think everyone thought it was funny the first time but I think that second time I made people think. The third time was just before Christmas and I stood up and said “I really want snow because it won’t feel like Christmas and I just don’t feel in the Christmas spirit without it.” So a few days went by and then one night after I had gone to bed my Mom came and woke me up. She was yelling “It’s snowing! It’s snowing!” and two days before my birthday a blizzard had come in the form of an answer to my prayers. So we all went outside and jumped around and I remember being so thankful that a prayer was answered – even something that might seems as silly as snow.
When we went to the Christmas church service everyone kept thanking me for asking for snow – some sarcastically but some had actually gone out and enjoyed it as a family. There’s nothing like red rosy cheeks, ears tucked away in a hat, walks changed to waddles by thick snowpants and the smile of child after coming down the hill on a tobaggan or after creating a snow fort. Snow is fun! Yes it’s a pain to take off your car and makes the roads slippery but make sure when grumbling to think of when you were a kid playing in it – and think how Christmas would feel without it. Brown, dirty, tired and basically yucky. So hooray for the white snow that dumped on us this week – I for one am happy and hope it sticks around until Christmas!
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