As the snow fell in heaps last night, I was so warm and content. A white Christmas, finally! It may not be Christmas, nor Christmas Eve, but it certainly is Christmastime. Perhaps the best part of Christmas, too. The buildup to the holiday, the anticipation of the joys to come. The festive feeling swells up in me as I hear dialogues of familiar movies, Christmas carols, and chiming bells. It gets stronger with scents of fresh pine, peppermint, baking cookies, and the sharp chill in the air. As the snow descended upon us last night, all truly was calm and bright. With the moon illuminating the wet, freshly falling snow, it was impossible not to admire the sound of the silence. Knowing that, like me, people were home, hopefully warm and safe…not a car could be heard…everything was quietly muffled and asleep under the blanket of white. Each little tree branch seemed to glisten as a fine line of snow perched atop it.

The most joyful part of this snowy day was Rosie’s reaction! It has not really snowed in over two years, and Rosie had never seen it before. She dug hurriedly in the snow, with both confusion and intrigue alighting her little face. She ran in circles, with dustings trailing behind her in the air. It was perfect snowball snow, so when we threw them her way I am sure she thought it was a tennis ball (her favorites). But then, it dissipated upon contact! How could it be? The fun she was having was palpable.

I spent my snow day wrapping gifts, filled the birdfeeders, watching movies, drinking hot chocolate, and then I made a batch of butternut squash soup from scratch. Now the tree is brimming with gifts, wrapped in red and gold, all labeled and ready to be given out. I shoveled a bit to create a path along our front door, which always feels sad because it disrupts the perfectly untouched snow. I even made a snowman out back, for the birds to perch on while they wait their turn at the suet.

I needed this day.