The Spell of Winter

Were I am right now, the snow has melted away again. For some people here, that's a good thing. For me, it means I may have to wait weeks for the snow to get back. I prefer to have a white holiday season.
When I was a little kid, the coming of snow meant fun (and possibly a few days off of school). I remember taking my sled to slide down snow covered hills with. My brothers were good at ice skating, but I could never get the hang of it.
The snow in winter also makes me think of a time period that had lots of snow: The Ice Ages. This time period commonly refers to a time about 20,000 years ago when large glaciers covered most of North America, Europe, and Asia. This was the time of Woolly Mammoths, Woolly Rhinos, and primitive man (sorry, Smilodons, or Saber-tooth cats, were alive at this time, but mainly lived in South America). The world was definitely much colder then (try picturing the North Pole without Santa or his elves). Even though it was a harsh time, I enjoy thinking of the ice ages and the creatures that lived in that time. It's even possible that there's a place in Dymos where the ice age continues (we'll just have to wait and see).
In my young mind as a kid, the coming of snow was a good thing. It was a reminder that Christmas would be coming soon. That was a time we would start getting out our decorations and making snowmen to decorate our front yard. My brothers would also have the occasional snowball fight. One of the good things that I think anyone would enjoy is coming in to sit by a warm fire drinking hot chocolate. I won't be doing that kind of stuff this year, but it's good to look back upon fond memories all the same.
Winter was a magical time for my childhood. I still enjoy it as an adult, when the world seems to take upon a new look, and the start of more family time. I hope everyone who gets to see snow this year will enjoy and treasure their memories.