When I was young, I loved sledding – and I loved coming in from the snow just as much, sighing in exhaustion and peeling off my wet mittens and socks, then curling up in a blanket by the fire and sipping cocoa (my Mom made the kind from a packet with mini-marshmallows, but she always used milk instead of tap water. It made all the difference. And if I sighed theatrically enough, I might even get a squirt of Redi-Whip.)
The best place to sled was at our elementary school, and you could find dozens of kids there, zipping down the big hill on trash can lids and sheets of plastic and Flexible Flyers – the kind with the really pointy metal tip. Nothing was worse than being at the bottom of the hill and seeing a Flyer tip pointed directly at you, and knowing you were about to be speared.
I still love sledding with my kids, and these days, instead of rusty metal points, sleds have soft, rounded fronts. But I make the hot cocoa the same way as my Mom. Some things are better left unchanged…
What’s your favorite memory of snow?
I’ve never lived anywhere that got much snow, but one time when I was pretty young and we lived in Mississippi, a fierce snow storm came through during the night. When I got up the next day, not only was there several feet of snow in our yard, but the cows from the pasture behind us were there too. I thought it was simply wonderful!
That photograph of the airborne woman is awesome. Who goes sledding in a skirt and heels?!
I’ve always loved how snow quietly can transform surroundings into a crystal wonderland. Truly breathtaking!
Aw, yes, I remember Swiss Miss with marshmallow minis and RediWhip. Man, I could squirt that stuff straight into my mouth 🙂
Our street was conveniently sloped, so we could do all our sledding right out front of our house. Lots of kids in the neighborhood too. New Jersey was a grand place to live!
In my early 20’s I ate some funny little mushrooms and went snowboarding in the outback by myself. I ended up spending the night in a snow cave, Jeremiah Johnson style. It’s my favorite snow memory because the storm let up in the morning. Otherwise, I would have been a popsicle. It didn’t hamper my love for snow, only for funny little mushrooms.
That picture is hilarious! I missed out on a lot of the sledding, etc. because first I lived in Oklahoma, which is totally flat, then I moved to California when I was 7, where there is no snow. I’m looking forward to when my baby is a little older and my husband can teach both of us those fun winter things.
Isn’t that photo funny? Love the memories of cows and mushrooms (glad that one worked out okay, Greg) … And Jen, sledding is just as much fun for adults!
I grew up in West Texas where it is flatter than flat. My parents would take us to Cloudcroft, NM in the winter so we could see what snow was. We were completely unprepared for playing in the snow (Keds+Snow=Frosty toes) but we had a blast. We didn’t ski, but we “sledded” with giant inner-tubes. I remember one time sailing past the stopping point, down a ditch, across the road and down another ditch before stopping under a pine tree. Now I live in Illinois where I am all to familiar with snow.
Is that you in the picture on the sled?
ha! No, not me… just like the photo.
Great photos!
We just went sledding a couple of weeks ago! My son loves it, my younger daughter, not so much. She was done after two slides. Luckily, I’d brought my dad along with me, so my daughter and I sat in the warm van and watched Papa and Sam zoom down a bunch more times.
The hill had melted a bit and re-frozen so they were going roughly the speed of sound at the bottom… Only minor injuries reported.