Living in\u00c2\u00a0Albany, New York,\u00a0I\u00c2\u00a0always\u00c2\u00a0wished for a White Christmas.<\/p>\n
In 1966, though,\u00a0chances of that happening\u00c2\u00a0were looking a\u00c2\u00a0bit bleak. We hadn’t received more than a dusting of snow until 3.5 inches fell on December 14. But, even that didn’t last. On December 17 and 18, temperatures crept into the 40s, and\u00c2\u00a0all the snow melted.<\/p>\n
Finally, Christmas Eve arrived. With it came snow.<\/p>\n
My sisters and I were ecstatic. We would have a White Christmas after all!<\/p>\n
On Christmas Eve, 13 inches of snow fell at our house .\u00a0Several times\u00c2\u00a0during evening, my older sister and I went out with\u00c2\u00a0Dad to shovel the snow from the sidewalks and brush the accumulation off the car .\u00a0Our younger sister helped\u00c2\u00a0Mom sweep the snow from the porches and stairs.<\/p>\n
The snow continued through the night,\u00a0and another 5.3 inches fell on Christmas Day. We woke to a wonderful, largely unspoiled\u00c2\u00a0blanket of snow on Christmas morning. A full foot and a half of Christmas snow!<\/p>\n
We wiped away the delicate patterns of frost on the windows and\u00c2\u00a0gazed at the winter scene outside. Every branch of every tree was covered with snow, and each fencepost was\u00c2\u00a0topped with a\u00c2\u00a0clean, white cap.<\/p>\n
We went outside to once again clear the snow from the walks and from the car. The snow muted the sounds around us. Even the snowplows on Allen Street seemed to move quietly as they\u00c2\u00a0worked to clear\u00c2\u00a0the snow.<\/p>\n
From time to time a mound of snow, its weight too ponderous to support itself, would fall from a branch and fall with a\u00c2\u00a0plop! onto the ground below.<\/p>\n
Winter birds hopped through the new snow, leaving delicate tracks behind them as they wandered about on their never-ending quest to find something to eat. In the garden,\u00a0bright red rose hips peeked out here and there from their white cocoon.<\/p>\n
Back inside, in the warmth of the house, we gathered by the Christmas tree. Mom turned on the radio and the sounds of carols filled the house. We opened our gifts, reveling in our own joys and those of the rest of the family, and we marveled at the beauty of Christmas.<\/p>\n
Written for the Advent Calendar of Christmas Memories<\/a> – Day 22.<\/p>\n Copyright \u00a9 2007 by Stephen J. Danko<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Living in\u00c2\u00a0Albany, New York,\u00a0I\u00c2\u00a0always\u00c2\u00a0wished for a White Christmas. In 1966, though,\u00a0chances of that happening\u00c2\u00a0were looking a\u00c2\u00a0bit bleak. We hadn’t received more than a dusting of snow until 3.5 inches fell on December 14. But, even that didn’t last. On December … Continue reading