Silver Bells

it's Christmas time in the city! I finally feel ready. I woke up this morning to a glorious coating of snow, and while I had to wade through it to get to work (unlike in NC, where everything would have been shut down by now) it was still beautiful and inspiring weather to walk in. I was thinking about hte first time I remember snow, from when I was five or six. We made snowmen and raced downhill in our sled. I remember running around in this fluffy mess and eating snowcream when it was too cold to be outside anymore.

Fortunately I never lost that magic. It's one of the few beliefs and ephiphanies I have managed to hang onto even as I have grown-up and become more cynical. I have always had an appreciation for snow, for the quiet it brings, even to a city. It seems to muffle everything and make it magical. I watched the kids across the street filing into preschool this morning, many hanging onto a snowball they made and asking questions about the snow. I did the same thing, questioning if the snowflakes really were different, and how it fell and if it was warm on top of the grass and leaves.

I think snow makes everything a little bit better. People were quieter on my walk to work today but it wasn't bad. We smiled at each other in the understanding that in the snow, everything was different. We were a little more courteous about slower, older walkers. We stepped carefully over at piles at the crosswalk and didn't jaywalk because the cabs still had a desire to hit us even during the storm. By the time I got to Jamba Juice on Houston, however, the snow had changed to rain and i stepped inside to open an umbrella. The guys shoveling snow in front of their businesses were whistling and for some reason I felt better about myself than I had in quite a while. It's important to note that with these changes comes hope for a white Christmas.

We've never had a White Christmas, at least not where I lived. I'm not even sure New York gets that many. I've always wanted one. When I was little I would wish on every falling star during the fall for a white Christmas, for waking up to presents from Santa, hot chocolate, brothers, and snow drifts that would make it impossible for them to go hunting, meaning more time spent with me. Christmas really is the perfect time to be snowed in. First of all, you have brand new toys to play with, so you're never bored on Christmas day. Secondly you can stay in your pajamas as long as you want, becuase no one can come see you in the snow. Third, Mom would let us watch as much TV as we wanted and keep the warm drinks flowing. Fourth, we always had plenty of food. So it really was the ideal situation. Now the day after Christmas was a different story. By that time, my brother and I were back to fighting over various things. But Christmas day was usually uneventful, peaceful.

I don't expect to have a white Christmas this year either. I'm heading back to North Carolina in a couple of weeks to spend the holidays with my family while Boyfriend goes to his family's house and hopefully visits me during the break. We have yet to spend Christmas or Thanksgiving with each other. Maybe someday. I'll come in to the middle of a flurry of preparations, my mother running around finishing decorating and trying not to let hte cats climb the tree, my aunt fussing over Christmas Eve prep and everyone asking everyone else what size they are and if the presents are returnable. Not even the snow could muffle that.