Dear Snow,
As you know, I’m from Albany, NY, a place that usually averages 54 inches of snow a year. I went to school in Rochester, NY, an even snowier city, as it averages 84 inches in a year. It’s a little different than living in Orlando, FL, where it doesn’t snow, and I’ve come to learn that anything below 40 degrees can feel like freezing.
Some might think it strange, but I miss the snow. I know many people fly down to Florida to escape the cold, snowy months, but it’s something that I’m looking forward to when I fly home in a few weeks. Of course, it’s something that I know I’m going to have to get used to again, especially since I’ve gotten used to anything below 40 degrees feeling like it’s freezing (a fact that as a Northener, I am greatly ashamed of).
In fact, the other night, I was walking down Sunset Boulevard in Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Christmas started in Disney World as soon as the last Halloween party ended (exactly then, I saw them taking the Halloween wreaths down and putting the Christmas ones up in Magic Kingdom).
At this point in my Disney career, there’s not too much magic that they can throw at me that will make me cry. However, when snow started to fall, I felt tears starting to come up. I felt like a kid all over again. I wanted to run through it. I wanted to dance in it. I wanted to catch a snowflake on my tongue (don’t do that...the snow is actually soap).
I’ll admit it’s odd for it to be December and to wear dresses with no tights or leggings. It’s even odder to go to a barbecue outside in December. Usually I can’t eat anything outside because of the gloves, or because I’ve got hot chocolate in my hands. I’m sure that once I’m back in New York, in the snow, I’ll be missing the warmer winter.
Perhaps it’s true that distance makes the heart grow fonder. The last few years, all I could think of about snow was shovelling, and the cold, and having to clean off cars. Now, all I want to do is go have a snowball fight and make snow angels and snowmen. I suppose I’ll be there soon enough.
Love,
A Displaced Northener
