A Shared Appreciation for Falling Snow

February 15, 2025

There is something sublime and simple about watching snow fall. Whether it takes the form of large fluffy flakes or a furious winter storm, it never ceases to capture my attention.

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And my wife feels the same way. Today while out running the errands of the day it started to snow, and not just any snow but the fluffy cotton candy snow that seems to fall way too slow for the size of the flakes.

At my next opportunity I quickly shot off a text message to her. “Fluffy snow outside now! Stop what you are doing, sit down on the couch and watch some snow. Don’t miss it again!”

Her reply of “Perfect! Thank you.” was all I needed to see. On my return to the house I was greeted with the sound of jazz music and a fire playing on the TV (we take what we can get).

I quickly made a cup of lemon zinger tea and relaxed on the chaise lounger with a perfect view of the snow falling in our backyard.

My appreciation of snow isn’t something new, its not a newly acquired taste gained as I make the unstopping march into old age. I’ve loved the snow ever since I was a boy.

My mother liked to tell people how upset I would get when the snow in the backyard was upset, usually by our dog but often by my sisters. What did I find so enchanting by that childhood winter wonderland?

Its hard for me to point to one thing. It had a certain timeless quality to it, a perfection of ice that covered everything underneath it, I still find it to be incredibly calming. The harder snowstorms take on an entirely different feel and appreciation.

Snow can be so transformative, for the landscape, for how we view the outside world and even for our own mental state. I don’t find snow to be bleak or harsh in any way.

And while I also love the cold (while my wife hates it), I am at least comforted to know that we share a common appreciation for watching it snow.