Crazy for Snowbabies

January brings the snow,

Makes our feet and fingers glow.

Sara Coleridge

The little snowman on the deck said, "LET IT SNOW"

And IT DID!

I love to decorate for the seasons but found it hard to do so in the winter months in Florida and California. Once Christmas was over and the Santas returned to storage, it just didn't seem right to leave the poor snowpeople sitting around in the hot sun. Now that I'm back in the great white north, I don't see any reason I can't leave them out until Spring.

While living in the land of eternal sunshine, Brittany introduced me to this jolly fellow (above). I admit to letting him hang around a little longer than I probably should have each year, but he made me think of cooler, cozier places.

When I was a child, my aunt used to display a battered old snowman that she'd acquired when she married my uncle. As snowmen go, he was a bit more rotund than most and wore little black spectacles. Unlike most snowmen, he was hatless which exposed the top of his bare head. Oddly, he looked quite like my uncle! I asked my aunt about him and she said he was an old family decoration that my uncle was particularly fond of. He disappeared some years ago, but my memory of him hasn't.

When my aunt and uncle passed away, I inherited back the two cuties pictured here. My aunt had marked my name and the year gifted on each. I'd love to know why?

And then, there are my favorite snowbabies of all (always a Mommy at heart):

Here's a classic snowman, circa 1984, along the St. Joseph River in Elhart, IN. I have such wonderful memories of that yard. In Elkhart, they measure snow in feet, not inches.

The girls are so well bundled, yet no mittens! Its a wonder Bridget could even move!

The first thing I notice when I look at this photo (Perrysburg 1990) is the lack of hats on three of the five heads. I recognize Rick's hat on the snowman indicating that he 'took one for the team,' but wonder what kind of mother would send two of her three children out with bare heads!

Finally, while surfing the web yesterday, I ran across this cute little recipe and gift idea called Snowman Soup. What a darling way to jazz-up a mug of hot chocolate.

Snowman Soup

1 package hot chocolate mix

3 Hershey Kisses

10 mini-marshmallows

1 candy cane or peppermint stick

Place all in a ziplock bag or in a new mug and attach this poem:

"Was told you've been real good this year

Always glad to hear it

With freezing weather drawing near

You'll need to warm the spirit

So here's a little Snowman Soup

Complete with stirring stick

Just add hot water, sip it slow

It's sure to do the trick!"

If you're into homemade gifts, this would be an easy way to involve the children, as they can help with assembly. It would be especially cute to present the poem and mix in a mug decorated with snowmen. Kohl's has an especially cute selection of these through the winter months.

Now, go forth and make SNOWMEN!