Daughters of Promise November/December 2014 | Page 59

MARLENE
BRITTANY
Our area of Virginia is not known
for its snowy winters, but one
activity that I have enjoyed in the
past is sledding. There is something
about bundling up and joining a
crowd of friends on the top of a
tall hill for an exhilarating time of
fun. Sometimes we have taken
our plastic cattle trough out of its
metal frame and piled a row of
people in it in lieu of a toboggan.
That usually results in a pile of
people spilling out once we
reach the bottom! Then it’s up to
the top of the hill again for round
two or three or four!

RAE
I grew up in southern TN, where
snow is a rare and delightful
treat. Now I live in southern VA
and the forecast is about the
same. Wintertime can get long
and morose, but I enjoy finding
ways to experience its unique
beauty. Several Decembers ago,
my brothers and I went camping
with some friends. It was frigid,
and one of their pups pooped in
the tent during the night, but we
made some amazing memories
huddled around the campfire
swapping stories and sipping
cheap hot chocolate. When it
snows, I love loading into the
back of a 4x4 truck and exploring
snowy back roads, seeing how
close we can get to completely
stuck. A family tradition is to
make snowcream (milk, sugar,
and fresh snow). It is also great
fun to gather a group of friends
for a starlight hayride through
neighboring fields, or around the
community to visit people.

It’s become something of a
tradition for my husband and I to
plan a winter walk after dark in
the snow. The group varies from
year to year but the ingredients
stay the same: a Coleman
lantern, snow (often knee deep),
a moon, and lots of warm winter
clothing.
It can be quite a
workout in knee deep snow, so
plan to have hot drinks and a
substantive snack afterward! But
there’s nothing quite so magical
and surreal as the exertion in crisp
air accompanied by moonlight
and lamplight. It’s something
completely different than the
everyday modern experience;
perhaps that’s why we continue
it, year a