At least in Minneapolis we’re dreaming of a white Christmas. Unseasonably warm weather and rain have vaporized our snow. NOT that I’m unhappy about it. We had a couple weeks of snow and I’m ready now for spring.
The weather prognosticators tell us very cold weather is headed our way after Christmas. Night temps going below zero. With no snow, that will be hard on the plants.
At times, I wonder what the Advent and Christmas seasons would be like without snow. No chance of even having snow. I’ve visited family at Christmas time who live in no snow zones. The time away from the cold and snow was welcomed. But to live in a place where snow never fell, that’s a sleigh of a different color. Although those family members assure me they don’t miss having to shovel at all.
But with no snow, there would certainly be no frosty cold made moan in the bleak midwinter. Jack Frost wouldn’t be nippin’ at my nose and while the weather outside might be frightful, I wouldn’t be singing, “Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow.”
The Christmas culture is inextricably tied to snow. Santa may have come one winter in a whirlybird, but it was an experiment that apparently didn’t catch on. His sleigh continues to be the preferred mode of transportation. Although one look out my window and I’m thinking Santa might want to reconsider ditching the whirlybird. Or at least consider using an ATV.
Weather aside, and even religion aside (because the yuletide existed long before Christianity), this time of year is to be with and remember family. Whether actual family or those who are considered family. We humans are social creatures, even the most misanthropic of us. That’s the point of A Christmas Carol. Scrooge becomes “normal” again. Our ability to form large social networks has enabled us to thrive as a species. To the point where we’re endangering the survival of where we live. But that’s the subject of another post.
I wish you all a happy Christmas (in all its symbolic richness) and a peaceful and prosperous New Year. We all want to hope and dream and, with those we love, to see those hopes and dreams come to fruition. May it be so for you and yours.
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