a click for my thoughts

It was 10:00 this morning when I felt my niece, who was sleeping beside me, woke up. I didn’t move, hoping she would go back to sleep. If she did, that would give me a reason to continue sleeping. But, it was 10:00 in the morning. Like what she usually does, she sat up and checked if I was awake. Seeing my eyes closed, she looked around for something to do. Perhaps her eyes were caught by the hazy white light coming from the half-closed blinds of the window because she crawled to take a peek. And like getting up to the blaring sound of an alarm clock, my sleepy eyes were forced open by her joyous exclamation, "It’s snowing! Look Auntie, it’s snowing! Auntie, it’s snowing, Auntie!" Of course, we all know that not paying attention to such gladness is as serious as committing a crime. Besides, who can resist such exuberance? So I raised my head and looked out the window. Sure enough, there was the snow, blanketing almost everything. While somewhere in my head I was groaning, " Here we go again…" to start complaining about winter and the cold weather, I can’t help but notice the glint of happiness as well.

Snow, tho’ a sign of cold temperature–something I detest–never fail to bring wonder. Its whiteness is its beauty. It is winter’s flower, a consolation for the thorn of cold spells. It is not really winter without it. And without snow, the Yuletide Season is aesthetically dull. It has been an icon for Christmas cards and decors, and one of the mental pictures that pops into someone’s mind when the word ‘winter’ or ‘Christmas’ is mentioned.

So, as my niece kept on going with her excited outburst at the sight of snow, which made her sound like a broken record, I paused to correct myself. "Here we go again…" remained an unfinished idea, and in its place was an appreciation of winter’s beautiful face. (It was a good thing that the day didn’t turn out to be sunny or else, the snow would’ve glared at us.) I smiled. "Yes baby, it’s snow!"

Earlier this evening I wore my winter jacket and my boots, and I went outside to do an errand. With the darkness that had set in, all the glory of the beauty of the snow was veiled. The white snow that lay on grass undisturbed was not as glamorous as it was this morning. What can clearly be seen are the ones that were stained with mud from the roads and the slushy melting ones along the sidewalks and gutters, illuminated by the lampposts that lined the street. I felt the cold air on my face. The soft breeze was freezing.  Without seeing the consoling beauty of the snow, winter (tho’ technically it’s still autumn till Dec. 22) suddenly became nothing but plain cold again. Yet, the crisp air seemed to cure negativities as well for after a dose of winter cold night air, I was overtaken with warm nostalgia.  There was this particular scent in the air, distinct only when snow had fallen. It was the fresh and crisp, yet cool scent of winter. And tho’ it was apart from the scent of cinnamon, scented candles, cozy crackling fire, warm baked pie, and other homecooked meals, the scent still reminded me of the festive mood of Christmas, of memories of family gatherings and reunions, of happiness and sharing, and of fun excitement and sheer joy. And I found myself smiling alone while the cold bit at my exposed skin.

Now, here I am smiling again at the recollection of how I smiled because of the first snow.

~ by klengsfile on November 22, 2007.