I love it when it snows, particularly that first substantial snowfall of the season.

There is something about that childhood excitement that comes with watching the snow fall and accumulate that harkens back to the days when the anticipation of a ‘snow day’ made me long for massive amounts of snow. I still get that sense of joy even though there is no such thing as a ‘snow day’ here in the land of reindeer and Santa. Blizzard and white out conditions? Bring it on!

The sound of snow falling (yes, there is a ‘sound’), the smell of snow as the air changes with an approaching winter storm, the variation in the consistency and size of individual snowflakes, and those little bits of snow that accumulate on the outside of our quadruple-glazed windows. All of this is incredibly enchanting.

Here in Helsinki, as we survive the darkest part of the year, snow brings with it a particular brightness that is otherwise lacking in November / December. A freshly fallen layer of whiteness reflects what passes for ‘daylight’ here and brings with it hope. The temperatures may plummet with the coming snow, but we’ll take it over rain and endless days of grey.

Thank you, snow. Please, come often this year and stick around as long as like. You make winter livable!

This slideshow requires JavaScript.