Walking in a Winter Wonderland

The night sky was a blank slate of black save for the ghostly light of the crescent moon which pierced through to the periphery of the Christmas scene before me. Children milled about the cul-de-sac followed by their parents and the odd family pooch. It was a scene out of any Christmas story book, fresh faces, rosy cheeks, smiles and songs as we walked through the neighbourhood carolling with good cheer.

Our walk was rollicking as boys jumped on each others backs, dogs nipped at our ankles and children chased each other over the green lawns. The mood was merry and our voices strong and our Christmas spirit shone brightly despite the lack of snow and ice to reflect back to us the nature of the season. We wandered under trees decorated with limp brown leaves who, despite dangling amidst twinkling lights and blinking Christmas colours, clearly missed the snow. So did I.

Mother Nature continued to hold at bay those woeful winter winds that swath our world when the wraiths of Father Winter come screaming into the season.
My tiny corner of the world is facing abysmally low records of snowfall. Last winter there was not enough snow for a single toboggan run.

We held out hope as we walked. The wind was starting to chill and as we moved from corner to corner we beheld lights and decorations. Ribbons and wreaths, candy canes and snowmen statues set out to entreat and entice the gods of weather to spare us a green Christmas. A warm winter morning is unseasonable but walking along, delivering warm winter greetings, usher in the festive mood.

It worked.

The next morning the
rain began to fall in thick bulbous drops.
By noon the trees were dripping, the eavestroughs were streaming and rivulets of water raced down my driveway and into the sewer. By the next morning the rain had turned to a slushy snow that dropped to the ground and plunked into puddles and thus I made my first footprints in the winter wonderland.

I awoke this morning to more snow. It had blanketed my neighbourhood overnight. We are finally going to have the white Christmas I have been dreaming of. Today the snowflakes floated softly down to meet the frozen floor of the world. Flurries caught in the pine trees and drifted sweetly past my window.

My dream came true, and as I leave you with images from my frosted world I wish you the Merriest of Christmases and holidays full of peace, love and walks in the wintry landscapes of your lives.

First snowplow of the season.

A happy boy on his way to the toboggan hill.

The beginnings of snowmen in the schoolyard.

Dominoe sniffing snowman parts.



A wonderfully white world.