A beautiful sight, we’re happy tonight,
Walkin’ in a winter wonderland
Winter. The unjustly maligned season.
Peering through frosted window panes, many folks watching snowflakes float from leaden skies try to ignore the vision of shoveling dancing in their heads.
Many folks don’t like winter. But winter can be fun if you let it.
There are exceptions, and I will not gainsay the fact that, for the elderly or homeless, winter can be a difficult, or even cruel, time of the year.
Nevertheless, I enjoy the winter.
I’ve never understood the mindset of those who, within 10 steps into the cold air, find the need to cover their exposed noses with their gloves and shrink their necks like turtles into their overcoat.
There is a big difference between being cold and simply feeling the cold.
You are not cold until your core tells you that you are.
Brenda and I are lifetime skiers; I’ve always enjoyed cruising steep snowy slopes while the winter wind was stinging my nose and eyelashes. I’ve suffered frostbite on my cheeks and nose hours before my core temperature finally told me I needed to warm up.
Kids understand this intuitively as they remain staying outdoors belly-flopping on their flexible flyers, ice skating over frozen ponds or throwing snowballs for hours on end without being cold.
Besides being a natural phenomenon, winter is a also state of mind.
We enjoy iced tea at the poolside. Why not enjoy a hot chocolate by the fire?
We can curl up with a good book in any season. Hockey can replace baseball for a few months. And we can still root root root for the home team in January as well as June.
Brenda and I once snow-shoed three miles under a full moon up on Emerald Mountain in Colorado. The temperature registered 7 degrees, but we didn’t notice. We noticed the shadows we cast on moonlit snow and sparkling diamonds twinkling in the ebony ski above. And guess what. No mosquitoes!
Sometimes we forget the steamy hot tubs and how to make snow angels. Sometimes we forget to be awed by the Northern Lights, and sometimes we forget to remember horse-drawn sleigh rides under those smelly blankets.
We don’t bother to look for porcupines in the pines or fox tracks on the snow anymore. It’s easy to forget these winter things while a glove is wrapped around your nose.
And what about Santa, that jolly old elf! Do children still snuggle in their beds while visions of sugarplums dance in their heads? Have you forgotten Lionel trains and new dolls under the tree? And the cookies we left out for Jolly old St. Nick?
Can we still remember Bob Cratchet and Tiny Tim on his shoulders who said, “God bless us everyone?”
Have we forgotten Frosty the Snowman with his corncob pipe and button nose? I, for one, am glad that I can still hear the bells ... .
Wise men followed a star 2,000 years ago to the Babe of Bethlehem and humanity learned to give Glory to God and to wish peace to men of good will. Is that such a bad idea?
All this happens during one of our seasons. Now, I ask you, do you still dislike winter?
So there, I’m finished. Now, at the young age of 84, I’m offering youse - guys and girls the chance to be kids again - for at least for a while.
We are fortunate to have been given the gift of seasons so let’s get out and grab life with gusto all 12 months of every year! The heck with people in Florida!
John Klumpp
Sparta