It might be an unpopular opinion, but I genuinely like snow.
I'm not referring to the icy, slushy nonsense we've experienced thus far - I'm talking about that snowman-making, sled-racing, will-the-pool-parking-lot-be-usable-by-opening-day kind of snow. It's been noticeably absent this season and honestly, I'm kind of bummed.
A winter without the white stuff is straight-up weird to me. I'm an East Coast kid, one who woke up at the crack of dawn and stared at the television hoping for her district to scroll across the screen during the school closure announcements. Our city began with an "R," so my siblings and I had plenty of time to debate "will we or won't we" (more if, God forbid, we looked away at the wrong moment and glanced back to see the "S" towns flitting by) but when we finally got word we were off for the day, our triumphant shouts could be heard down the block. Snow gear went on right over our PJs and we were out the door, only coming inside to exchange wet mittens for dry ones or to warm up with cocoa topped with generous dollops of Fluff instead of mini marshmallows. (Try it. It's chef's kiss delish.) This happened at least 10 times per winter and though that meant our summer vacation wouldn't start until late June, the tradeoff was 100 percent worth it at that moment.
Don't misunderstand me: I'm not jonesing to snowblow my driveway or slip a disc while grabbing the mail but this just isn't winter to me. Sure, it's cold - I curse the Midwest on single-digit temperature days but I knew what I was getting into when we decided to call Hinsdale home - but in February, snow castles will always trump sand castles and I like being reminded that Oreos double as both snacks and snowman eyes. As it stands now, the kiddos won't have a day of uninterrupted sledding, fort building and snowball fights that I enjoyed in my youth until next winter. It's disheartening, to say the least, but since I don't know the village's stance on personal snowmaking machines, wait we shall.
With my luck, we will have been blessed with the deluge of my dreams before press time and this column will be moot. If the days keep ticking closer to spring with no snow in sight, however, join me in wishing for not just slush or flurries but "the" snow - the one capable of both resurrecting old memories and making new ones. I'll get the cocoa and Fluff ready, just in case.
- Lex Silberberg of Hinsdale is a contributing columnist. Readers can email her at [email protected].
