THE MAGIC OF SNOW

From my Christmas Book "A Fair View of Fairview"

C

hristmas and snow are synonymous for me.  Whenever I see snow lightly fall in the evening I am taken back to all sorts of events:  Christmas shopping in Salt Lake City when I was a little girl.  We did a very unusual thing and stayed at a motel.  I remember Kim and Pam having a bed but there was only a crib for me so I must have been very small.  Walking on the streets outside of ZCMI, viewing the snow falling outside the elaborate window displays and seeing people carrying sacks and wrapped packages is a perfect storybook memory.

I loved to go outside in the evening when it was snowing.    One time I worked very hard to make as many snowballs as I could before my brother, Kim, left the milking parlor to finish his evening chores.  I lined up as many snow balls as I could on every manger stall.  When Kim came into view I started throwing the snowballs as fast as I could.  I do remember Kim being very surprised and me getting the better of him for just a little while.  He quickly made his own snowballs and I imagine that I ended up crying and screaming to Mother.

I don’t think we had the warmest clothing for living in such a cold climate.  I had some fleece-lined white rubber books with a zipper up the front.  I can only remember knitted mittens that would get sopping wet out in the snow.  When I would come in from playing outside I would sit on the top step in the furnace room and try to unzip my boots.  I just couldn’t get enough feeling in my fingers to get my boots off.  My fingers and toes would hurt so badly as they warmed up.