What’s Wrong with Winter?

Throughout my growing-up years, I always lived in snow country–and I (almost) always exulted in it, whether I was 5, 12, or 18. As a young boy, I frolicked in the snow with my brothers and friends, having snowball fights, building snow forts and snowmen, sledding, and making tunnels in snowdrifts. As a young teen, I earned money by scooping (shoveling) snow for some people in my community; if I knew overnight snow was likely, I would get up about 5:30 and look out the window. If it was still coming down, I would go back to bed, but if it had stopped and there was snow on the ground, I would get up and head out with my snow scoop. When the snow was fluffy (in really cold temps), scooping it off driveways and sidewalks was easy; when it was heavy, it took longer. Regardless, I had to make sure I finished in time for school.

When I was 17, I had saved up enough working at a grocery store to buy my first car, a ’73 Nova. During the winter, while it was warming up, I frequently had to brush snow off the windows, which was easy; sometimes there was ice underneath, which took longer.

When I started college, I was still in snow country, and when I went home for Christmas, my parents were still in it as well. My first winter back home, it snowed every day, and I genuinely enjoyed scooping snow off our driveway and sidewalks–and my dad was glad to let me do it!

Fast-forward four decades. I live in an area where the overnight low this time of year is typically in the low 40s, very occasionally dipping below 40. Daytime highs are usually in the mid-to-upper 50s. In other words, we don’t really have winter. In the 3+ decades that my wife and I have been living here, I remember only one time when we had snow; it was very short-lived and of course didn’t “stick.” If we want to get to snow country, we have to drive at least an hour.

My wife and I are part of a church which is largely of an Asian ethnicity. (I am not.) While my brothers and sisters like to go to snow country with their kids, they wouldn’t dream of living in it. And many of our elderly wouldn’t dream of going there for a day trip, even if someone else is driving. I should add that elderly attitudes about snow are not specific to this Asian ethnicity; where my parents retired, some middle-aged (and older) people in their community were “snow birds” who would head off to warmer climes for a couple months this time of year. And some of them moved permanently to such climes later in retirement.

All of these memories of snow country came back recently when I posted in a church chat on an app that we use, “People always think I’m crazy for saying this, but I miss living in snow country!” One of my sisters responded, “Wow. You don’t look old, and you’re certainly not old in mind, either!” I puzzled over that response, and then my wife explained that older people of this ethnicity would never live in snow country if they had a choice. (I will turn 65 next month.)

Shortly after that, another sister told our congregation that her elderly mom was going to move to a cold-weather clime in order to live with and help a family member. This sister used the word “brave” to describe her mother as well as “hardship” to describe what it would be like for her–specifically in relation to living in cold weather for a few months out of the year. While I have a lot of respect for what this elderly woman is doing, I can’t empathize regarding the cold weather, at least not yet; if I ever get to the point where I can’t drive, maybe I’ll be able to.

Maybe you’re wondering why I don’t move to snow country! The main answer is my wife. While she grew up in snow country as well and enjoys visiting it, she wouldn’t want to live in it now. However, if we someday have grandkids who are living in it, she would be willing to move there. I should also add that thanks to our wonderful church, I’m content with staying here.

I acknowledge that there is a difference between living in snow country and visiting it. I understand very well, for example, that there are certain things you have to deal with in snow country related to cars (car batteries, rust, snow tires, impassable roads) and houses (frozen pipes, exacerbated roof and insulation issues).

By now, maybe you think I’m crazy, too, for missing living in snow country. However, even if you would never live there, have you ever just stood in or near a grove of trees and enjoyed falling snow with your various senses? Watching it? Feeling it? Have you ever stuck your tongue out and tasted it? Have you ever heard it?! (Thank you, Anthony Doerr, for bringing this one to my awareness!) Have you ever just stood amazed in the beauty of it and praised the Lord God, the Creator Who gives it?

I have told many people that some of my best times of worship are when I am out in the Lord’s creation; snow is no exception. Maybe you want to avoid snow at all costs, but if you’re even a little like me, I hope that the next time you’re in it, you will take a few minutes just to soak in the beauty of it–and to praise the Giver of it.