Thoughts Along the Path . . .

By the time this is in the newspaper, saying “Happy New Year” will not mean much. So instead of that, with our winter off to an early start, I’ll quote the song title: “Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!”

Just for fun, here’s some trivia about that song. Written by Jule Styne and Sammy Cahn the summer of 1945 in Hollywood, it was originally recorded by Vaughn Monroe. In the 80 years since, it has been recorded by countless soloists and groups, the most familiar being Dean Martin. (more than 1 billion downloads!)

Whether or not you wonder about the background of this seasonal classic, you know exactly what I mean when I say “snow.” Or do you? What else can “snow” mean other than that white stuff that falls from the sky and lands on the ground and somehow accumulates to unexpected heights, starts out pretty then becomes dirty, makes driving and walking difficult, and yet it dazzles our eyes and invites us to photograph, slide, skate, ski, and otherwise play in it.

Within literature, music, cinema and other media, snow often serves as a metaphor for other objects or ideas – symbolic rather than literally the weather. I asked my sometimes-helpful AI for a summary of metaphors for snow. I am listing below some of my favourites and then ideas that came to me after I read them.

BLANKET: The first thing I notice about fresh snow is how it covers, conceals, and seems to protect whatever is under it. It appears soft and inviting, bringing warmth and rest, maybe even sleep, to the scene. Though I know it is cold and wet, it looks cozy and comforting, much like a blanket.

CANVAS: Look at your yard and your neighbourhood. Especially when the snow is fresh, it can be seen as a blank slate, full of possibilities. If the snow is an artist’s canvas waiting to be painted on, what would you want to do with it?

SUGAR: It does look a bit like powdered sugar, I suppose. And playing in it can be sweet. Rather than feeling sour about it and focusing on the negative, can we feel happy and uplifted by it?

VEIL: What lurks beneath it, what does it conceal, and how completely does it do this? Though you cannot see it, you know about the yard work you didn’t finish in the fall and the projects that await you in the spring. For now, all of that is hidden or at least blurred from sight.

Putting metaphors aside for now, I will return to the fact that weather is a natural event and therefore cyclical with variations. It’s up to us to be prepared for it. Whether we love it or hate it or are somewhere in-between, we can recognize that snow also symbolizes the continuation of cycles to bring a fresh start physically and spiritually. The Baha’i writings remind us that “In this material world time has cycles; places change through alternating seasons . . . “ We can also be encouraged by this familiar quotation from the King James Bible: “To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven.”

And in case you wonder – when the song “Let It Snow” was written in Southern California in 1945 the average daytime temperature there was hot, very hot.

Wishing you joy in this snowy season and throughout the year ahead.

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Submitted to Ayr News by Jaellayna Palmer January 2026