Shimmering, sparkling, sunlit snow: the reason I ski down the slippery slopes. Sizable sums of seasonal slush: the reason I slide down South for the start of Winter. 

This one word is the cause of great suffering in the Brace family household. It is practically forbidden and has not so affectionately been given the title of “The S Word.” I am careful to limit my use of the “swear” to as little as possible, for it signifies the cold and severe car accidents. 

While others celebrate the beauty of the crystalized particles when they descend from the sky for the first time, I often spend these initial days with the curtains closed, trying to ignore the inevitable. I don’t often see myself as a pessimistic person, but when it comes to snow, I can’t help but only imagine the hassle that comes with it. 

Many of my peers are filled with smiles as the snow storms outside reflect even more light into the classrooms, but I admittedly become a Debbie Downer. The only time I can truly appreciate the snow is on Christmas and the annual day of the year that my OM team picks to go skiing. 

Otherwise, snow encourages an onslaught of too-early Christmas songs as people belt Mariah Carey whenever they please. Don’t get me wrong; I’ve always been one to join in when it comes to belting, but with Christmas songs, they seem to penetrate my life earlier and earlier every year. 

With the white fragments falling from the sky, I’m trapped in a limbo of anxiety and calm. On one hand, the thought of driving in the slush and ice makes me want to lock myself inside; although, it also makes me feel fortunate to experience all four seasons. 

I can’t deny the warmth of Christmas: an abundance of love, presents, and traditions that activate one of my favorite feelings of nostalgia. Without snow, this magical holiday loses some of its glimmer, but the past few years of dreary Christmas weather prove that snow isn’t necessary to experience the joy of the Holidays. 

It’s difficult to live in a world where something so traumatizing is celebrated by the majority of the population. Finding someone who is also distraught with the first snow is a comfort—shoutout to Jordyn Reens in AP Physics. 

From sledding to making snow angels to building snowmen, I, unfortunately, can’t find enough joy in these activities to truly appreciate the cold and unforgiving weather patterns of Michigan. Each snowflake may be unique and beautiful; except when they all clump together, these initially small burdens turn into a magnitude of annoyance. These tiny nuisances pile into a considerable disruption in the equilibrium of peace. With such unbalance, I fear that I may slip down the scale for eternity. 

The picturesque scenery is only temporary, and the days off from school can only provide relief for so long. Nonetheless, I’m grateful to have a stable home, family, and hot chocolate readily available. After all the snow I’ve already seen in my life, I’d be content to leave snowflakes to the artificial Star Wars ones that are displayed on my windows around the Holidays. 

Snow may be a serendipitous surprise to some, but to me, it’s a sadistic sham.