Winter Magic

I'm awake far later than I ever should be, and I have a rather pathetic reason for it: I was bored, I didn't feel like sleeping, and so... I started making paper snowflakes.

I'm not the biggest snow person out there: it's cold and wet and turns into slush that soaks my jeans and shoes. But it's also undeniable how beautiful snow can be. Especially when it's falling and when it's laying on the ground, untouched. I was running errands on campus early in the evening yesterday and walked outside into a thick flurry of snow blowing through the air and already carpeting the sidewalks and grass. My breath caught at the simple, clean beauty of it. It was enough snow to make everything white without creating terrible inconvenience yet. I wanted to capture the moment, but I didn't have my camera on me; and honestly, I don't think the camera could capture it.

Hours later, in the warmth of my apartment, I started cutting out paper snowflakes. As I experimented with different shapes, I was often pleasantly surprised with the intricate designs that resulted as I unfolded each one. It was like magic to open each snowflake and see how the snips in the paper turned it into an individual creation in its own right. What do you then do with 30-something paper snowflakes? (Half were left from an activity earlier this month). I took some thread, scissors and scotch tape, and hung each of them from my living room ceiling. The variety is quite intriguing, and together they make for a lovely indoor snowstorm.

Now, I'm not sure if paper snowflakes are worth staying up until 6am for... They probably aren't, but it was certainly a fun undertaking :) And, I don't need to worry about decorating for a New Year's party!